Dragon Master
by fffan231
Summary: Please read and review. This is about a trainer who starts her journey in Hoenn. She wants to be a Pokemon Master... but maybe she'll be something more.
1. The Journey Begins

A girl shifted in her bed before slowly opening her eyes. She looked out the window of her room to see that the sun had just begun to rise. 

After a yawn, she sat up and stretched, waking the pokemon that slept beside her.

The pokemon, a young Bagon, yawned and looked at the girl with a smile and a happy growl.

The girl looked down at the bagon and smiled back. It was a small pokemon, a little under two feet tall, with a blue body, short arms and a hard, gray plate on it's head. "Good morning, Saphira," the girl said.

The two got out the bed, and the girl rubbed the sleep out of her brown eyes while Saphira arched her back in a massive stretch.

"I'm surprised we got any sleep," the girl said while she walked to her dresser. "I'm so excited!" Saphira agreed with a happy grunt while she leapt back on the bed and started making it.

The girl got some clothes from her dresser and started changing.

'I can't believe I can finally be a pokemon trainer!' the girl thought as she pulled on a dark blue pair of jeans.

She had finally turned ten, the age when a person can finally get a pokemon trainer license, just a few weeks before today. She had always loved pokemon, and already had her first chosen :her Bagon Saphira.

She loved all pokemon, but her favorites were dragons.

After pulling on a blue t-shirt, zipping up a red hoody and checking her shortish brown hair in a mirror, the girl turned around to see her pokemon finish making the bed and smile with a happy grunt.

The girl smiled and thought of when she got the pokemon.

When the girl moved here with her family, they made friends with Professor Birch who had a lab not far from their house. When she was out walking one day, she came across something odd in the grass. She went to look and found that it was a pokemon egg. She excitedly ran back to her house and showed her parents. They were both surprised and said they should show Professor Birch. When they got to his lab, he was very excited. He checked the egg's condition and found it was in good shape, although he didn't know what kind of pokemon was inside. The girl was happy that the egg was ok, but regretful because she thought that the professor would want to keep it for research. Because of this, she was shocked when the professor put the egg in her hands and said, "Take good care of this egg. It wouldn't have survived if you hadn't found it." When the girl started to question, the professor only said that the egg was hers because she found it, and he would tell her how to take care of it until it hatched. Overjoyed, the girl thanked the professor and eagerly listed on how to take care of the egg.

Not long after, they called the professor, who came to their house and watched the egg hatch into a Bagon.

Saphira jumped off the bed and walked over to the girl who said, "Thanks Saphira. Let's go downstairs."

They walked down the stairs, jumping the last step and landed in the kitchen where the girl's mother was cooking.

"Good morning Sarah!" she said with a smile.

"Hi mom," Sarah smiled back. Saphira waved to Sarah's mom with a happy growl.

"Good morning to you, too Saphira," the mother said as she bent down and patted the dragon pokemon on the head.

While her mother put two plates with food at the table, Sarah and Saphira seated themselves in chairs and started eating.

"So," Sarah's mother said as she sat down with her own plate of food and began to eat,"are you excited?"

"Of course!" Sarah said. Saphira smiled in agreement.

"Good," said her mother. "Your father is thrilled too. He wishes he could be here but he's at the gym."

Sarah nodded. Her father was the gym leader of Petalburg city. They always got along well because they both loved pokemon and had something to talk about.

As they ate, a boy came down the stairs and into the kitchen, rubbing his brown eyes.

"Good morning honey!"said the mother as she got up and laid another plate of food on the table for him.

"Hi William," Sarah greeted her little brother.

"Hi," William said with a yawn. He ran a hand through his messy brown hair then sat down in the chair next to Sarah and began to eat.

"So, it's today, huh?" William asked his sister with a tone Sarah couldn't recognize.

"Yep," Sarah said. William said nothing more and concentrated on his food.

A small conversation was exchanged, surprisingly with William saying nothing, until the meal was finished. The siblings helped their mother clean the dishes while Saphira got Sarah's backpack.

They all worked together to make sure everything was packed in the backpack:a blanket and pillow, a few cooking utensils, and other necessities like a toothbrush.

Sarah got her Pokenav, put it in her pocket and hoisted the backpack on her shoulders. Her mother smiled and hugged her while saying, "I love you and I'm very proud of you. Have fun and be safe."

"I will," said Sarah after the hug. Her mother pet the Bagon on the head once more and said, "You be safe too and take care of Sarah." Saphira grunted in assurance.

Sarah turned to her brother. "Bye William," she said as she hugged him. He hugged back, not saying a word. After the hug, he avoided her eyes. Sarah looked regretful.

"Come on, William," she said, not unkindly," you know you're not old enough to go yet."

"It's not that.." said William, still avoiding eye contact, "I'm gonna miss you too much." Sarah glanced at Saphira who had a look of sympathy on her face.

Sarah frowned sadly and looked at her brother. "I'll call as often as I can to say hi, ok?" she said, trying to lighten her brother's mood.

"Ok.." said William, clearly thinking that it wasn't good enough.

Sarah hugged her brother again, then repositioned the backpack on her back.

Everyone, except William, went out the door, and Sarah and Saphira began walking down the trail toward the professor's lab with her mother waving until she was out of sight.

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Please Read: Any good? I know this chapter is really short, but the next ones are a lot longer. I'm sorry if this story is seeming to go by fast, but it gets longer and better.

I love dragons and I'm a big Eragon fan, so I thought it would be fun to write a story about a trainer with dragon pokemon.(When Sarah found Saphira's egg, I was NOT trying to imply that it was the same thing Eragon did.) This story takes place in the Hoenn region. Sarah will travel through Hoenn and end up with three pokemon on her team. Saphira will be the only dragon TYPE, but the others are pokemon like dragons. I really hope people like this story because I've been working very hard on it. Please review to let me know. It's ok if you don't like it, but please don't be rude when you say you don't. If you have any questions about my story, my email should be open. Thanks.

Note: Eragon fans should've noticed the name Saphira. There will be more names throughout this story, at least at the beginning, for Eragon fans and Harry Potter fans. Also, if you would like to know why I'm going to name every pokemon in this story, here's why. And it makes pokemon twice as fun: Let's say, you don't nickname your Mightyena, so you call it 'Mightyena.' But when you think about it, 'Mightyena' is only the name of that SPECIES of pokemon. So, calling a Mightyena 'Mightyena' is like calling a German Shepherd 'German Shepherd.' It's their species, so it's not their NAME. So, I don't see nicknaming pokemon as nicknaming. I see it as naming. If you don't agree with this, that's fine, but please don't decide not to read my story because of it. I'm really really nervous that no one will like it. So, please read, review, and enjoy.


	2. Where's The Professor?

Even though it was only a five minute walk to the professor's lab, it felt like it took longer as Sarah and Saphira walked eagerly to their destination.

Saphira did a small jump for joy as she ran beside her trainer. Sarah smiled.

Sarah knew that most pokemon stayed in their pokeballs, but Saphira was an exception. She heard that many pokemon, more than people knew, hated being inside a pokeball. Sarah could see why. The thought just seemed so cramped and dark. Although many pokemon saw it as a comfortable way to travel, Sarah was glad that Saphira didn't like it. It seemed like you couldn't get to know your pokemon if it was in it's pokeball all the time. It felt more like you were friends on the same journey, working together as a team. Saphira did have a pokeball for extreme emergencies, but she had only gone in it once so far, and that was to 'catch' her so she could be called into it.

After what felt like more than five minutes, the two saw the professor's lab.

"Come on!" Sarah shouted to Saphira as she began to run toward the door. Saphira kept a pretty good pace with her and was standing next to her trainer just seconds after Sarah got there. Sarah gave a polite knock and opened the door.

They walked inside to a two room, very spacious lab. There were book shelves on the right and left, and a few yards ahead was an examination table with a computer, and telephone with a screen that would let you see the person you were talking too. They didn't walk into the other room, but knew it was a smaller room that had a second phone and a pokeball transferring machine.

Sarah and her pokemon walked toward the table where they saw Professor Birch's assistant.

"Hi," said Sarah to the assistant when they reached him. The assistant turned around and smiled.

"Why, hello Sarah! We've been expecting you!" he said. Sarah smiled back. He was a very polite and happy man that Sarah liked talking to.

"How are you?" Sarah asked. "Oh, just wonderful, thank you!" he answered. "How are you?"

"Excited!" Sarah answered. She looked around. "Where's the professor?"

"Oh, he wanted to get some field work done before you came," he answered," but don't worry. He knew you were coming, and said he'd be back at 8:30, and it's 8:27 now," he said as he looked at his watch.

"OK, thanks."

"You may have a seat while you wait."

"Ok," said Sarah as she seated herself.

Saphira jumped onto Sarah's lap and nuzzled her while Sarah hugged her and patted her head.

After a little while of waiting, Sarah checked her own watch, which said 8:31. She continued to wait patiently, knowing the professor would be here any minute. But 8:31 turned into 8:35...then 8:43...then 8:47...

Sarah began to get restless, and walked over to the professor's assistant, still holding Saphira in her arms. The assistant looked worried.

"What's taking him so long?" asked Sarah, but not angrily.

"I don't know," said the assistant without his usual cheeriness. "It's not like the professor to be late. But it's not the first time, so maybe I'm overreacting."

Sarah and Saphira sighed. They were beginning to get a bit worried about the professor, too. Also, they couldn't go anywhere until Sarah got her pokemon license from him.

With these thoughts in her head, Sarah asked, "What if Saphira and I go look for him?" Saphira nodded.

"That's a wonderful idea!" the assistant said. "I'm too busy at the moment, so it would be great if you could go see what's taking so long. I'm sure it's nothing."

"Ok," Sarah said, excited that they could do something other than just sit there. "Where is he?"

"Route 101," the assistant answered.

"Great," Sarah said, hoisting her backpack with one arm while holding Saphira with the other. "We'll be right back." The assistant nodded as they walked out the door.

Sarah set Saphira down after shutting the door. She reajusted her backpack, then they both ran eagerly toward route 101.

At their speed, it took about one minute to reach the beginning of the route. They slowed to a walk before entering it. They had only walked a few yards when they began to hear barks and howls.

The sound got louder and louder as they followed it. Sarah and Saphira looked at each other with puzzled looks. They knew there were wild pokemon around here, but all the noise seemed to be coming from one place. When it was clear that the sound was right past the next bush, Sarah hesitantly moved it to see what was going on.

In a tree in a very small clearing was Professor Birch, trying to shoo away about five Poochyena who were making the barks and howls that they heard while trying to climb the tree to get to the professor.

Sarah and Saphira were surprised to see why the professor was late. Poochyena weren't violent pokemon, they were actually a very common choice for companions, but Sarah knew the only thing that would cause them to act this way was if their territory was disturbed too much.

Sarah and Saphira jumped into the clearing.

"Sarah!" the professor yelled, surprised to see her. "What are you doing here?"

Before Sarah could answer, she realized that all the Poochyena's had now shifted their attention to her and were approaching with growls. They were obviously upset at how much the professor disturbed their territory, and were now angered more that it was being disturbed again.

Sarah was a bit scared, seeing the angry pokemon approaching. After tearing her eyes away, she was surprised to see that Saphira was now in front of her, showing her teeth and letting out her own growls.

Sarah knew that Saphira wanted to battle the Poochyenas to make them leave, but she had never battled before. People without a pokemon license would get in trouble for battling. Then Sarah remembered that battles were allowed, even for people with no license, in emergencies, which was what this was.

Sarah thought fast. She knew Saphira's attacks, but she was outnumbered and she didn't want her to get hurt. She became very confident when she thought of an attack that would surely end the battle quickly.

"Saphira, Roar!" she commanded.

Saphira pulled in a breath and let out a roar that was somewhat louder than suspected from a pokemon of her size. As it sounded, they saw the Poochyenas' expressions change from anger to fear. They all yelped and ran out of the clearing as the roar faded.

"Yes!" Sarah said, scooping the dragon pokemon in her arms and hugging her. Saphira hugged back with a triumphant grunt.

They watched as Professor Birch came down from the tree and said, "Splendid!" He walked up to them and patted Saphira on the head. "Thank you, both of you."

"No problem," Sarah said, patting her pokemon's head after the professor.

After a quick smile, Professor Birch asked," Now, what are you doing here?"

"We were waiting for you at the lab, and you were late, so we came looking for you," Sarah answered.

"Hmmm," the professor replied, "You could've gotten into more trouble than me, but I'm glad you came and helped me." Saphira growled in a 'You're welcome' way. The Professor laughed.

As they walked back, he said," I'm sorry I was late. I guess I stayed in the Poochyena territory a little too long and upset them."

"It's ok," Sarah said, Saphira walking happily in front of her.

They reached the lab in no time. After they walked in, Professor Birch told the story to his relieved assistant.

"I'll be more careful from now on," Professor Birch promised. "Now, back to business," he said as he walked to a desk behind the examination table. He opened a drawer and pulled out a red, rectangular-shaped item. He opened another and pulled out five pokeballs.

He walked back over to Sarah and put the red item in her hand. "This is a Pokedex," he explained. "It will give you data on any pokemon you see." Sarah opened it excitedly while she listened. It made a small sound as a list of commands appeared on the screen. Professor Birch pushed one of the buttons, saying, "It's also your pokemon trainer license." A picture of Sarah with other information about her appeared on the screen.

"Thanks!" she said as she closed it. The professor smiled and gave her the pokeballs. "Here's five pokeballs to catch pokemon with," he said. Sarah looked at them with excitement as she put them in her backpack.

"You should be all set now," Professor Birch said as Sarah put the backpack on. "Good luck."

Thanks," Sarah said. She looked down at her pokemon and said "Are you ready?" Saphira smiled, as if saying 'Yeah!'

"OK, let's go!"

Just as they turned around to leave, Sarah started as she saw her brother standing a few feet in front of her.

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I hope I'll start getting some reviews now. These after chapters notes will be short now, if I even have any at all. I'll have a small name pronunciation guide for anyone who doesn't know how to pronounce future names. If you're a fan of whatever it came from, you'll already know, but here it is for people who don't.

Saphira- Sa-fear-a

More names as they come later.


	3. A New Town, and a New Friend

"William!?" Sarah said in shock. "What are you doing he-" she began to say, but had the wind knocked out of her when he ran to her and hugged her.

"I miss you already!" he said in a slightly shaky voice. After getting her breath back, Sarah asked, "Does mom know you're here?" William was silent for a moment before saying "...No."

"William!" Sarah said a bit angrily, "She's probably wondering what in the world happened to you!"

"I don't care," William said, not loosening his grip on his sister, "I don't want you too leave."

Sarah closed her eyes and sighed. She and her brother weren't just siblings: they were best friends. He was a year-and-a-half younger than her, and he had a very energetic personality. But the closer the day Sarah would leave got, the less energetic and sad he became. She tried to explain to him and cheer him up, but it never worked.

"Come on, William," Sarah tried to explain, "We've been through this before." William just stood there, unmoving.

Sarah sighed again and started to walk toward the phone. She was stopped almost immediately when her brother grabbed her hand and said, "Don't take me home!"

"I'm not taking you home," she said as she dragged him along, Saphira helping by pushing on his leg, "I'm gonna call mom to tell her where you are. I can use the phone, right?" she asked Professor Birch. "Of course," he answered. After a few seconds of struggling, Sarah got to the phone and called home, her brother hanging on to her.

After a couple rings, Sarah's mom appeared on the screen and said "Hello? Sarah! Wha-," and stopped as she saw William hugging his sister. "William!" she said "What are you doing there!? You were just up in your room!" William hesitated before saying, "I climbed out the window."

"What!?" his mother exclaimed," You could have fallen! Why would you do that!?"

William became frantic. "Is it that hard to understand that I'll miss Sarah!?" he said in a frustrated tone, tears showing in his eyes. "I'm not trying to be a brat, I know how much Sarah wants to go on her journey, I'll just miss her too much!"

Sarah watched him while he talked, then looked back at her mother. Her mother sighed, then surprisingly, smiled. "I should've known I couldn't keep you two apart," she said. She turned her attention to Sarah and asked, "Sarah, if your father agrees, how would you like William to go with you?" Sarah felt her brother jump, as he was still hugging her, and her eyes became wide. "He can!?" she asked excitedly. She felt stupid that she never thought of that.

"Of course," her mother answered. "Although he's not old enough to be a trainer yet, he is allowed to go with you. But I have to check with your father first.

"Ok!" Sarah said excitedly after glancing at her beaming brother.

"Ok, I'll call back in a minute, I have to call him," their mother said.

"Ok, bye!" Sarah said as they hung up.

"YAY!" William exclaimed as he hugged his sister tighter.

"Yeah, it's great- William I can't breath," she gasped.

William quickly let go. "Sorry." He paused. "I hope I can go!" he said hopefully.

"You will," Sarah assured, "Dad will be fine with it."

William bent down and picked up Saphira "Won't it be great if I can go with you!?" he said, hugging her. Saphira grunted happily while she hugged him back. Professor Birch watched and chuckled.

They waited for a few restless minutes. When the phone rang, William jumped, and Sarah answered it. Once more, their mother appeared on the screen. She smiled and said, "You have to come home and get your stuff, but you can go, William."

William leaped off the floor with a "YES!" before giving his sister another breath-stopping hug. "Awesome!" Sarah said, after she convinced him to loosen his grip enough for her to breath. "We'll be there in a few minutes."

"See you soon!" their mother said, then hung up.

After Sarah hung up the phone, she said, "Alright! Let's go home and get you ready!"

"Let's go!" William said, already running toward the door.

Sarah turned to the Professor and his assistant and said "Thanks for all your help." Saphira nodded next to her.

"You're very welcome," he said, "and thank you again for helping me out of my problem earlier."

"No problem," Sarah said as she walked to the door, waving. "Bye!" They waved back until the siblings walked outside and closed the door.

"What problem?" William asked, his energy clearly back in his voice. As they walked quickly toward home, Sarah explained what happened in the small clearing.

"Awesome!" William said as their house came into view. "You and Saphira are the best!"

Sarah smiled at the exaggerated praise while Saphira chuckled.

They walked through the door and saw their mother already packing William's orange backpack with things he would need. She saw them walk in as she zipped it up and said "Hello!"

William ran to his mother, smiling. "Thanks for letting me go with Sarah, mom!" he said as he gave her a hug. "No problem, honey," she said as she hugged him back.

After the hug, she gave him the backpack and told him what was in it. William smiled and pulled the backpack on his shoulders. Their mother gave them each one more hug, and said, "Take care of each other."

"We will," they said. Then, once more, they all walked out the door, and waved as they walked to Route 101 until their mother was out of sight.

Before they knew it, they were walking down the trail of Route 101. Sarah got out her Pokenav and checked for the next town, Oldale. It wasn't too far away, and she quickly memorized a route to get there before shutting off the Pokenav and putting it back in her pocket.

William asked Sarah many questions while they walked, like when they would get to their next destination and when they would see wild pokemon. Sarah gladly answered all these questions as it passed the time.

After the questions stopped, Sarah took out her Pokedex and opened it. "Awesome!" William said. "Is that your pokedex?"

"Yep," Sarah said as she showed it to him. She pressed the button that Professor Birch had and her trainer license info came on the screen.

"Neat!" William said as he watched. Suddenly curious, Sarah pressed the button again to clear the screen and pointed the Pokedex at Saphira, who walked beside them.

A picture of a Bagon appeared on the screen, and a mechanic voice began to talk. They all stopped walking to listen. "Bagon, the baby dragon pokemon. It has a never-ending dream of someday growing wings and flying. Many Bagon show their frustration by crushing rocks with their armored heads."

After it stopped talking, Sarah looked at Saphira. She already knew of Saphira's dream to fly, as she could understand everything Saphira said to her. She knew Saphira enjoyed being a Bagon, but still hoped that someday she could fly.

"Cool," said William as Sarah closed the pokedex. "Do you wish you could fly, Saphira?" Saphira nodded. "At least she doesn't hit her head on rocks," said Sarah. William laughed.

They continued walking for about an hour before they saw Oldale Town. They eagerly walked into the cozy little town and looked around.

There was a cluster of buildings on both sides, with a trail leading to a Route up ahead and another on the left. Many of these buildings were houses. They noticed one was a Pokemart, and not far from it, a Pokemon Center.

"Let's go there," Sarah said, pointing at the center. The other two agreed and walked toward it while looking at the other buildings.

They entered the Pokemon Center and saw it was delightfully busy. Many people sat at seats talking, some with their pokemon.

Sarah checked her watch and saw that it was only 10:30. "We got here fast," she said to her brother and Saphira. "Let's take a look around." They both nodded and followed Sarah to the front desk.

A pretty young woman with red hair stood behind it. She smiled at them and said "Hello! Can I help you?"

"No thank you," Sarah said, as Saphira didn't need healing," We just wanted to introduce ourselves and look around."

"No problem!" said the woman. "My name is Joy. I'm the nurse at this Center."

"Nice to meet you," Sarah said. "I'm Sarah, this is my little brother William," she paused to bend down and pick up Saphira," and this is Saphira." William and Saphira waved.

"Nice to meet you all," said Nurse Joy, scratching Saphira under her chin, making Saphira kick her foot. "All Pokemon centers have a place for trainers to sleep, and it's free. This," she gestured at the room they were in, "is the main room where everyone can stay as long as they want for a rest and talk to each other. We also have a counter to get food that's always open, and it's also free," she said as she pointed to a counter on the right side of the center.

"Thanks," Sarah said. "You're welcome," Nurse Joy said with a smile.

They went to the food counter and, as none of them were hungry, each got a drink, including Saphira. They found a vacant table and sat down, looking around and enjoying their beverages.

After a minute or so, a trainer walked by them, holding a Poochyena in his arms and said, "Hey, is that a Bagon?" He looked like he was the same age as Sarah with short black hair and blue eyes.

"Yeah," Sarah said, scratching Saphira's head. "Her name is Saphira."

"Wow!" the boy said. "She's so cute!" Saphira smiled and continued to enjoy her drink.

The boy held his pokemon up and said, "This is Padfoot." Padfoot barked and wagged his tail.

"Aww, hi Padfoot!" William said excitedly, getting up and scratching the pokemon behind the ears.

"I'm Alex," said the boy as William sat back down. Sarah introduced herself and her brother.

"Are you a trainer?" Sarah asked as Alex put Padfoot down. "Yep," he answered, "I got my trainer's license yesterday. Are you?"

"Yeah," Sarah said. Saphira got down from her chair and began playing with Padfoot.

"Cool," said Alex. "When did you start?"

"This morning," Sarah answered.

"Awesome!" Alex said. They exchanged small conversation while the pokemon played, then Alex said, "Well, me and Padfoot gotta go. We stayed here last night and really want to go to the next town."

"Ok," Sarah said as Saphira said goodbye to Padfoot and got back in her chair.

"I hope we meet again," said Alex.

"Me too."

"See ya! Come on Padfoot!"

They all waved as the trainer and pokemon walked out the door.

"Wow!" William said," Saphira is so cute and so is that Poochyena! I can't wait until I can be a trainer!" Sarah smiled.

They all became hungry at noon, so they all ate at the same table. After that, they talked to more trainers and their pokemon, all complimenting each other. At about 2:00 P.M., William asked Sarah, "So, what are we doing today? Are we gonna try to make it to the next town, or just look around here?" Sarah thought for a minute. She got out her Pokenav and checked the distance between here and the next down. She was surprised that she completely forgot the next town was Petalburg, where their dad was the Gym Leader.

"Well," Sarah said," Petalburg is the next town, so we could see dad," Sarah said.

"Awesome!" William said.

"But I think we should check out this place a little more. What do you guys think?" Saphira nodded, and William said, "Yeah. I can't wait to see dad, but why leave so soon?" So, with it decided, they all left the Pokemon Center to explore the area.

Sarah looked around and said," That Route leads to some water. Wanna check it out?"

"Sure!" William said. They all walked across town toward the Route.

When they entered it, they saw it was an area with a lot of grass and trees. They walked through it, pushing away numerous branches and bushes. After about ten minutes, came to a small clearing by a lake.

"Cool," William said. They all walked around the clearing, noticing how cozy it was.

They walked to the edge of the water. The ground they were standing on went straight down by a foot into the water. William sat down and took his shoes off. He sat at the edge of the lake and put his feet in the water. Saphira jumped in it and started swimming. Sarah laughed and sat down by her brother without putting her feet in the water.

They watched Saphira for a minute, chuckling at her, then looked out at the lake. It was a vast lake, clear and blue, with the hazy outline of another town on the other side.

After a minute, William asked," Are you gonna battle dad for a badge when we get to Petalburg?"

"No," Sarah said. "The League rules say there's an order you have to get the badges in. Dad is the fifth."

"Oh," William said. "I can't wait to watch you battle! I can't believe I missed it when Saphira scared away all those Poochyenas!"

"We'll be doing plenty of battling," Sarah said.

"Good," William said. "Hey, does your Pokedex have any more information on Bagons?"

"Let's see," Sarah said. She pulled it out of her pocket and opened it. They looked up Bagon and read more information on it. Sarah knew most of it because she looked up as much as she could on them when Saphira hatched. They looked at some other things before Sarah put the Pokedex away.

They both started as they heard a rustle behind them. They just barely saw a bush move. They glanced at each other, then back at the bush. Saphira jumped out of the water and watched the bush with them.

After a few more seconds, the bush moved again, and a small, brown and furry pokemon with black stripes came out of it and looked at them. They all smiled.

"Aww, a Zigzagoon!" William said, slipping his shoes back on. The Zigzagoon made a small bark noise and wagged it's tail. William and Sarah got up and approached it.

The pokemon ran up to them and fixed it's gaze on William, still wagging it's tail.

"Hi," William said as he reached out to pet it. It made no motion to run, so William patted it's head, much to it's delight.

"He's so cute!" William said as he knelt down and scratched it's head.

"Yeah! "Sarah agreed as Saphira walked up to the pokemon. He turned his attention to Saphira. She talked to him with friendly growls. After a happy bark from the Zigzagoon, Saphira patted it's head in a greeting.

"Wow," William said. "Are you gonna catch him Sarah?

At his words, the Zigzagoon showed his first signs of fear.

Sarah thought for a moment. She knew it seemed funny to some people, but she wanted to choose her pokemon carefully, because they would be her friends, and she knew she would know when she saw it.

"No," Sarah said and explained to him what she was just thinking.

"That's cool," he said, "I agree. You just know when you see a pokemon that would be great for you." The Zigzagoon had a bit of relief and sadness in it's eyes. Unfortunately, no one saw.

"This was really fun but we've been here longer than I thought," Sarah said, looking at her watch that said 4:57 P.M. "We should get back to get dinner, then we can come back."

"Ok," said William. He patted the Zigzagoon again and said, "Bye. It was nice meeting you." The Zigzagoon just stood there, then turned around and ran back into the woods. They all looked at each other, puzzled.

"I hope I didn't hurt his feelings with what I said," Sarah said.

Saphira tugged on Sarah's leg to get her attention. "What's the matter, Saphira?" Sarah asked, looking down at her.

Saphira began to talk with grunts and growls. Sarah listened as she understood Saphira saying 'He wasn't offended, he just hates pokeballs like me, and he didn't want to battle.'

"Oh," Sarah said. She told William what Saphira said. "Oh, poor thing," William said. "I really liked him."

"He'll be ok," Sarah said. "Let's go."

They all walked through the trees and bushes again and took about the same amount of time to get out of them as it took to get there.

When they pushed away the last tree branch and walked onto the short route that led back to the town, they were surprised to see the same Zigzagoon standing there looking at them.

"Hey, it's him!" William said, making the Zigzagoon wag his tail. He ran over to William and rubbed against his leg with a happy bark. William smiled and scratched the pokemon's head.

Sarah watched and got an idea. "Hey, William." He looked at her. "You're not allowed to battle pokemon yet, but that Zigzagoon really likes you, and you're allowed to have a pokemon." William opened his mouth and beamed at the words as the Zigzagoon barked and jumped in his arms, licking his face.

"You want to be my pokemon!?" William asked Zigzagoon. He barked and licked his face in a 'Yes'. "Yay!" William said, hugging his new pokemon.

Sarah reached into her backpack and got out a pokeball. The Zigzagoon saw this and got scared. Sarah noticed and, remembering what Saphira said, asked, "You don't like pokeballs, do you?" He nodded.

Saphira walked up to William and told the Zigzagoon how she also hated pokeballs, but could stay out of it, and only had one for emergencies. He wagged his tail.

Understanding the conversation, Sarah gave the pokeball to William and said, "Catch him so he has a pokeball, then let him out. He doesn't like it." William stared at the pokeball in his hand and nodded. He set the pokemon down, and too excited to say anything, threw the ball and watched Zigzagoon go inside. The ball moved, and almost immediately stopped, because he wanted to be caught. William picked the ball up and let Zigzagoon out. The pokemon appeared and jumped into William's arms. Sarah smiled, and they walked back to the Pokemon Center, William holding tight to his pokemon.


	4. A Visit, and a Rescue

When they were close to the Pokemon Center, Sarah said to William," What are you gonna name him?" while she gestured at the happy Zigzagoon in his arms. The Zigzagoon wagged his tail and looked up at William.

He thought for a minute and said "I know! I know!" Sarah was surprised that he thought of one so fast. "How 'bout Rascal!? What do you think?"

"Sounds awesome!" Sarah said as Rascal licked William's face. Saphira happily grunted.

"Great!" William said, happy that everyone liked it.

They all went through the Pokemon Center's door and went to the food counter. There was a short line, which went by very quickly, and within a few minutes they were all at a table eating. William told Rascal some things about himself and rambled about Sarah and Saphira's journey. Rascal listened happily. William was a bit dissapointed that he couldn't understand what Rascal would say. "You'll understand him faster than you think," Sarah told him. "Until then, we can ask Saphira what he says." William smiled at the thought.

After about forty-five minutes, they finished their food and their conversation. They walked outside and stretched.

"So," said Sarah, "You wanna go back to that spot?"

"Sure!" William said. "We can show Rascal the water and maybe go swimming!"

"Great," said Sarah. "Let's go."

They took the ten minute trail through the trees and bushes until they found the same small opening.

"Yay!" William said as he ran to the lake. Sarah laughed as she saw him jump into the lake without changing his clothes first. He swam a few yards out. The water got deep fast, but nowhere past his neck. Rascal ran up to the edge and plopped into the water with a small splash. He swam out to William who called his name.

Sarah watched for a few minutes, then looked at Saphira. "I don't feel like swimming, but you can." The Bagon shook her head. "Ok. What do you want to do then?"

Saphira grunted 'Train.'

"Hey, good idea!" Sarah said. She looked around and saw a medium boulder on the left side of the clearing. She walked over to it with Saphira following.

"You can practice some attacks on this rock to get some good power and practice your accuracy," Sarah said. Saphira nodded.

Sarah thought for a minute. "Try a headbutt first."

Saphira nodded again, lowered her head and ran until her head hit the rock with a breaking force. The ground shook, but the rock was unharmed. Saphira backed away with a bit of dizziness in her eyes.

Sarah laughed. "You ok?" she asked. The dizzy pokemon nodded. She never battled before, other than the roar that scared away the Poochyenas, so her first attack was good, just a little hard.

"Wanna try again?" Sarah asked. Saphira shook her head to clear it then nodded.

She did the attack again, causing the same ground shaking affect, but this time, didn't get dizzy.

"Great! Progress!" Sarah complimented. Saphira smiled with a grunt.

For the next hour, William and Rascal played in the water while Sarah helped Saphira work on her attacks. They tried all the moves Saphira knew on the rock. When she got better at it, Sarah got a stick and moved it around so Saphira would have a moving target. It was a bit hard for Saphira, but when the hour was up, she was accurate at least ninety-five percent of the time.

The two sat down and rested while William got out and dried himself off with a towel. After Rascal shook water out of his fur, William used his towel to help dry him.

"We saw some of your training," William said. "It was awesome!" Saphira grunted.

"Thanks," Sarah said, patting her pokemon's head, "She made a lot of progress."

William and Rascal joined them. They talked for a while while the pokemon played. Sarah checked her watch and saw it was starting to get late.

"We should go," Sarah said. "Don't want it to get to late before we go back."

"Ok," William said. They made sure they had everything, then each picked up their pokemon and carried them through the trail to save time.

They set the pokemon down when they got out of the trees and headed toward town. They were startled when someone came walking toward them.

Sarah only took a second to recognize him. "Alex! Hi!"

"Hi!" Alex waved with his Poochyena walking next to him. When they all stooped in front of each other, Sarah asked, "What are you doing here? I thought you said you wanted to go to the next town."

"I did," Alex said. "We were on our way, then I realized something and came back. We didn't know where you were, so we asked some people and they said they saw you go into the woods, so I waited till you got back."

"Why?" Sarah asked.

"For a battle."

Sarah's eyes became wide at the unexpected request.

William just got excited. "Yay! Now I can watch you battle!"

Sarah looked at Saphira, seeing if she was ready to battle. Knowing what the question was, the Bagon put on a grin of confidence and nodded.

Sarah looked back at Alex and said, "Sounds great!"

"Good!" Alex said, getting pumped for battle. "One on One? Padfoot's my only pokemon."

"Yeah," Sarah said, "Saphira's my only pokemon."

"Awesome!" He grined slyly. "Let's battle!"

They spaced themselves on the route so the were about thirty feet apart, each with their pokemon at their sides.

Pokemon and trainer stared each other down, waiting for the first command.

"Go Padfoot!" Alex yelled. The Poochyena leapt in front of his trainer with a bark.

Sarah got butterflies in her stomach. She looked at Saphira who looked just as nervous. They took a deep breath, then nodded.

Sarah put on an air of confidence, then yelled, "Go, Saphira!" The pokemon jumped in front of her, baring her teeth to her opponent.

They all watched each other. A second went by then, "Padfoot, Tackle!"

"Saphira, headbutt!

The two pokemon ran at each other at full speed, putting thier all into the first attack. They jumped, and collided in midair, sending each other flying backwards. They both stood up and shook their heads, trying to recover from the blow. They looked at each other and charged again.

Just as Padfoot was about to hit, Saphira jumped up in the air, and landed behind him. Padfoot skidded to a stop and whirled around. without enough time to react, he watched as Saphira breathed an ember at him, hitting his side.

"Yes!" Sarah shouted. Saphira jumped back after breathing her ember, and Padfoot quickly recovered. His eyes flashed as he charged again.

Saphira jumped to the side and hit with another headbutt, causing Padfoot to skid onto his side. He glared at his opponent before wuickly getting up and charging again. He watched as Saphira tried to dogde. Knowing which way she was going, he turned in her direction and hit her in the chest. Saphira landed on her back as Padfoot jumped backwards.

"Shadow Ball!" Alex shouted. Padfoot built a dark ball around his mouth while Saphira tried to get up. She was knocked back down as the attack flew from Padfoot's mouth and hit her face.

"No! Come on Saphira! Are you ok?" Saphira steadily got up, gritting her teeth. Padfoot barked and charged again.

"Saphira, headbutt!" Sarah shouted.

Saphira stood there, waiting for the Poochyena to get closer. When he was just about to hit, she stepped to the side, and sent him flying into a tree trunk with her attack. Padfoot fell to the ground, knocked out.

"YAY!" William jumped up and down while Rascal barked happily. Alex went to help Padfoot. Sarah stood there in disbelief. They won. Her pokemon looked at her with a triumphant smile.

Sarah ran to her and picked her up. "That was awesome!" she praised while she hugged her. Saphira licked Sarah's face and smiled while hugging back.

Alex picked up Padfoot and walked over to them. "Awesome job," he said. Padfoot lifted his tired head, then barked in agreement.

"Thanks," Sarah said. "You guys did great too," she said while she patted Padfoot on the head.

"I hope we can battle again soon," Alex said.

"Me too." The two shook hands.

"Well," Alex said, "Now we're gonna go to the next town."

"Aren't you gonna stay at the Pokemon Center tonight?" Sarah asked, thinking of the distance.

"Nah," Alex said, rustling the fur on Padfoot's head. "If we don't get there before dark, we'll camp. We love camping."

"Yeah," Sarah said, understanding the feel for adventure. "Well, see you around."

"Yeah." They all waved as he walked toward his destination

"You won your first battle!" William said as they walked back to the Pokemon Center carrying their pokemon.

"I know," Sarah said," I'm so proud of you Saphira." She hugged the tired pokemon tightly. Saphira smiled and appreciated the rest.

They entered the Pokemon center and found it busy. Luckily there was no line at the healing center, so Sarah walked over to the counter.

"Hi Nurse Joy," she said.

"Hello again!" Nurse Joy said.

"Saphira needs some healing."

"No problem. She'll be just fine in a few minutes." Sarah gave Saphira to Nurse Joy and watched her walk away, Saphira watching Sarah the whole time.

Even though it was only for a healing this time, Sarah was always nervous when Saphira wasn't around. Ever since she hatched, Sarah was always concerned for her safety.

They went and sat at a table close to the counter. William sat opposite Sarah with Rascal in his lap.

"You're gonna do great against all the Gym Leaders, including dad," he said while he scratched the Zigzagoon's head.

"Thanks," Sarah smiled, still a bit nervous without Saphira there.

William looked at his sister a bit quizzically. He realized what she was thinking, then said, "Don't worry about it Sarah. You've been fussy about Saphira ever since she hatched. We know where she is, and even if we didn't, she can take care of herself."

"I know," Sarah said. "You're right."

After a few minutes they heard the healing room's door open and Nurse Joy walked out with a recovered Saphira. Sarah got up quickly and accepted as the baby dragon pokemon was set in her arms.

"She's just fine," Nurse Joy smiled.

"Thanks," Sarah said, hugging Saphira.

"You're welcome."

Sarah turned around and sat back at the table with Saphira in her lap. She looked at her watch and saw that it was finally starting to get late.

"Are you ready to get settled in a room?" Sarah asked her brother. "We don't have to go to sleep, we should just get settled."

"Sure," William agreed. They got up and walked back to Nurse Joy.

"Anything else I can help you with?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Yes," Sarah said. "We'd like to get settled in a room." Nurse Joy came from behind the counter. "This way," she said. They followed her as she went through a small door on the left and entered a small hallway with five doors on each side. She opened the closest door on the right.

"This will be your room for tonight," she said as they walked inside. It was a good sized room with two bunk-beds, one on either wall and a window opposite the wall with the door.

"Thanks," Sarah said.

"Enjoy your stay," Nurse Joy said as she shut the door.

William ran to the bunk-bed on the right, dropping his backpack next to it, and threw himself onto the bottom one. Rascal landed on William's chest and licked his face.

"This is awesome," William said.

"Yeah," Sarah agreed. "It's so cozy." She set her backpack next to William's and sat on his bed while he sat up next to her.

"So," William said," I'm not tired. What are we gonna do?"

"We should call mom first, then we'll figure the rest out."

"Ok," William said, jumping off the bed. They went back the the main room, and found a vacant phone. They dialed their home number, and, after two or three rings, their mother answered.

"Hi Sarah! Hi William!" she said beaming.

"Hi mom," they both said.

"Where are you?"

"Just Oldale," Sarah said.

"Well, I'm glad you called to let me know you're doing well. William, is that a pokemon?"

William beamed with pride. "Yep. This is Rascal," he said, hugging his pokemon.

"You have a pokemon! That's wonderful! she said. "As long as you don't battle with him."

"I won't," promised William.

"Good. Have you been doing ok?"

They summed up their day.

"Wonderful! You're doing just fine. Keep up the good work!"

"We will," said Sarah. "Goodnight mom."

"Goodnight you two! I love you!"

"We love you too!" the siblings said, then hung up. They headed back to their room.

After taking turns turning their backs to get into their pajamas, the two sat on the bottom bunk together with their pokemon on their laps.

They looked at Sarah's Pokedex, and found it had pictures of every pokemon known in three regions, and had a little info on each. They checked it's functions and learned that when you saw a pokemon, more info was given. There was also a page that told you how many pokemon you saw and how many you caught.

They looked at different pokemon until it was completely dark when they looked out the window. They agreed it was time for bed.

William and Rascal got comfortable on the bottom bunk while Sarah and Saphira climbed to the top one.

Sarah pulled the blanket over herself and Saphira. "Goodnight, Saphira," she said. Saphira grunted and closed her eyes.

The sunlight coming through the window woke them the next morning. Sarah and Saphira stretched in their beds. They climbed down as William and Rascal got out of bed, yawning. They all greeted each other and took turns getting dressed.

They left the room and went to the main room to get some breakfast. After a few short minutes in line, they got their food and sat down.

"Are we going to Petalburg City today?" William asked.

"Yep," Sarah said. "We can go as soon as we're done."

"Cool! Then we can see dad!"

They made sure they were ready before leaving. They stopped at a Pokemart and got some potions and antidotes for emergencies, then entered the route that led to Petalburg City. Sarah calculated on her Pokenav that it would take a while to get there.

They walked for hours, looking at various pokemon on the Pokedex while Saphira and Rascal played. There wasn't much to do, so they mostly talked about different pokemon and which one's they thought looked cool.

At noon they stopped and ate food that was packed back in Oldale Town. They continued walking for about another hour until Petalburg came into sight.

"We're here!" William said as they entered the city. There were a lot of buildings, but the Pokemon Center and the Gym were close.

"Let's go see dad!" William said excitedly.

"Ok," Sarah agreed, and they ran for the Gym.

They approached the large, brown building and opened the door. As they walked in, they entered a big lobby. It had many chairs lined up in rows for visitors and trainers wanting Gym battles to wait in. The only people there were the Gym's staff. They smiled as they saw their father, Norman, talking to one of the people.

"Dad!" They both yelled and ran to him. He looked up and smiled. "Sarah! William!" They both hugged him. "You guys got here fast," he said, blue eyes full of energy.

"Sort of," Sarah said, "But we're having fun." He smiled and greeted Saphira.

"Hey Saphira. Taking good care of them?" Saphira nodded with a smile. He then looked at Rascal.

"Well, who's this William?"

"This is Rascal," William said looking at his pokemon with pride. Rascal wagged his tail as Norman patted his head.

"So, you have a pokemon? That's wonderful. Does your mother know?"

"Yep," William said.

"Good."

"Well, come on, I want to hear about everything you've done so far."

They all sat down in some of the lobby's seats and talked. There were no Gym Battles to interrupt their conversation. They told him about everything they did so far on their journey. He listened, making comments here and there.

The time flew as they talked. After a while they realized it was dinnertime, so they all ate at the gym. Norman told them about some of the battles he had in the past few days. It seemed more and more capable trainers were challengin him to a battle. He had given out a lot of badges.

When they were finished, they figured they should make sure they could get settled at the Pokemon Center, as there was only one room for their dad at the gym, and they kind of wanted to sleep at the Pokemon Center anyway.

"You kids be good," Norman said as they walked out the door. "I'll see you later." They waved and shut the door.

They reserved a room for themselves at the Pokemon Center, then went back outside. They watched the horizon for a while as the sky just began to change colors during sunset.

They enjoyed the sight until they heard a loud growl coming from Saphira. They looked at her. She was looking out at the route they took to get to Petalburg.

The siblings look at each other nervously. "Saphira..." Sarah asked, "What's wrong?" Saphira dashed off toward the route without a word. "Saphira!" Sarah shouted as she ran after her, William and Rascal following.

Saphira ran down the route for a few minutes, then turned and entered the trees on the side. They followed her, Sarah calling her name. She pushed away the thick branches, then was afraid she would lose her in the trees.

They managed to keep her in sight, and watched as she came to an abrupt halt behind a bush. After everyone caught up to her, Sarah panted," Saphira , what are you-"

She was quieted by a small growl from Saphira, who pointed past the bush. Sarah looked at the bush and finally noticed how many sounds were coming from behind it. She glanced at Saphira, who was looking at her with a fierce look, then moved a part of the bush aside to see what was happening.

At the far end of a small clearing, a flock of Spearow flocked around an orange figure with a flame on the tip of it's tail. It covered it's head and made small, scared sounds as the bird pokemon tried to peck it. It was a Charmander.

Without thinking, Sarah jumped into the clearing and shouted, "HEY! Get out of here!"

The Spearows stopped suddenly and looked at her. They glanced at each other, eyes full of anger, then flew straight for her with talons ready.

Sarah braced herself for the oncoming attack. Instead, she heard a small rustle, then a loud roar. She looked in it's direction, and found Saphira in a battle stance in front of her.

The roar stopped the birds from advancing. They just hovered in midair, glaring at the small Bagon that bared it's teeth at them.

Sarah breathed nervously. What was Saphira planning to do? The roar didn't scare them away, and she didn't know any moves that would defeat them without seriously injuring herself.

With sweat beginning to drip down her cheek, Sarah opened her mouth to tell Saphira to get away from the Spearows.

Before the words came, the entire flock of Spearow flew straight for Saphira.

"Saphira! Run!" Sarah shouted. The pokemon didn't move.

Sarah was about to say it again, when an electric-blue attack flew from Saphira's mouth, hitting every Spearow. She watched in disbelief.

'Dragonbreath!' Sarah thought in excitment.

After the attack was over, the Spearow struggled not to fall to the ground. They managed to stay in the air, and confusingly flew away with frantic screeches.

Saphira turned around to see if Sarah was ok. Sarah forgot about the fear the Spearows caused, picked Saphira up and said, "That was awesome! You learned Dragonbreath!" Saphira hugged her trainer, enjoying the praise.

Seeing that the birds were gone, William and Rascal came from behind the bush.

"That was awesome!" William exclaimed.

Sarah hugged her pokemon until shesuddenly remembered the Charmander. She looked to the end of the clearing, and saw it was still there, glancing at them. Sarah looked at Saphira, put her down and slowly approched the Charmander.

"Are you ok, little guy?" Sarah asked, taking samll steps so she wouldn't scare it. The Charmander, still clearly scared, hesitated a bit.

Sarah knelt down in front of him. "It's ok now," Sarah said, "The Spearows are gone." The Charmander looked up and surprised Sarah by jumping into her arms and holding tightly to her shirt. Sarah hugged the Charmander.

"Are you hurt?" The Charmander shook it's head. Sarah held him up and looked at him to be sure.

"You look ok," she said as he hugged her again, burying his head into her arm.

William, Saphira and Rascal approached.

"Is it ok?" William asked.

"Yeah, he's fine, he's just scared," Sarah answered. She got a strange feeling looking at the Charmander.

"Do you have a trainer?" she asked him. He shook his head.

"Don't you have any friends or family?" He shook his head again. The strange feeling got deeper as she felt sorry for the poor thing.

"Charmander char," he said. Sarah looked at Saphira who translated.

'He says not to leave him here.'

"We won't leave you here," Sarah said. She thought about the strange feeling she had. Then she remembered when she said she would know when a pokemon would be great for her team. It was a feeling she didn't understand, but knew she should listen to it.

"Well," Sarah started, wondering if it would be ok to ask, "If you don't have a trainer... do you want me to be your trainer?" The Charmander made a small jump and looked at her.

"What do you think?" she asked him.

"Char!" he said happily, and hugged her tightly. Sarah hugged him and beamed. She had a new pokemon.

She managed to put the Charmander down and stand up.

"Hang on a second," she told him. She reached into her backpack and got out a Pokeball. She watched curiously as the Charmander saw it and hid behind Saphira. She then laughed, realizing what was wrong.

'Another Pokemon that doesn't like pokeballs?' she thought 'Awesome!'

Without having to be told, Saphira explained to the Charmander that he could do the same thing with a pokeball that she did. The Charmander smiled at this and came out from behind her. He walked over to Sarah and stood in front of her with a smile.

"Ready?" Sarah asked him.

"Char!" 'Yeah!'

Sarah threw the pokeball, and caught the Charmander without a struggle. She immediately picked it up and released him, then put the ball back in her backpack. The Charmander jumped into her arms and hugged her tightly. She smiled at her new pokemon. 


	5. A Name of Fire, And a Race Against Time

On their way back to the Pokemon Center, William couldn't resist patting the Charmander on the head.

"He's so cute!" he said. The Charmander smiled and held onto Sarah's shirt tightly.

"What are you gonna name him?" William asked Sarah. Charmander looked up at her excitedly.

She thought about it for a minute. She wanted to think of a noble name that would fit a Charmander the way Saphira's name fit her.

"How about... Ignitus?"

The Charmander squeaked with satisfaction.

"That's an awesome name!" William said, along with Saphira and Rascal agreeing. Ignitus licked Sarah's face, making her laugh.

It was almost dark when they got back to the Pokemon Center. They went back to their room and got ready for bed, but stayed up a while, talking.

"I'm trying to collect all the Gym badges here," Sarah explained to Ignitus, "And go to the Pokemon League. Will you be ok with battling?"

As he answered her, Saphira translated. He said that he was a little scared of battling, but really wanted to try it.

Then he also let them in on his own personal goal: evolve into Charizard. He loved being a Charmander, but wanted to evolve. "Why?" Sarah asked. She was fine with it, but was curious.

Ignitus moved his arms in a flapping motion.

"Oh.." Sarah said, realizing it with a smile, "You want to fly, just like Saphira."

Ignitus looked at Saphira and smiled, thinking it was neat they had the same goal. Saphira smiled back.

"I think it's time for bed," Sarah announced.

"But I'm not tired," William protested, his eyelids drooping. Sarah laughed to herself.

"Yes you are, now go to bed," she said, not unkindly. William reluctantly sank into his bed, and fell asleep almost right away. Rascal curled up next to him, gave a cute yawn, and fell asleep.

Sarah shut the light off, then climbed to the top bunk with Saphira. They got under the covers, then Sarah noticed Ignitus still standing on the floor. She could see his small orange outline in the moonlight that shone through the window.

"Hey," she called to him. He jerked his head up.

"Come on, it's time for bed." He smiled, realizing he got to sleep next to Sarah. He climbed the ladder and got under the covers next to Saphira.

Sarah thought about the flame on his tail and was about to say something when she remembered that any pokemon that had fire outside their bodies could control it not to burn anything.

She relaxed, then said goodnight to everyone.

"Goodnight," William said in his sleep. Saphira growled softly.

Ignitus licked Sarah's face then cuddled in the blanket. Sarah smiled, and her pokemon were the last things she saw before she closed her eyes.

- - - - -

Sarah was the first to wake up the next morning. The sunlight just began to come through the window, leaving a golden light on the floor.

She ran a hand through her face, then gently woke her pokemon. They yawned and smiled at their trainer when they opened their eyes.

After climbing out of bed, the pokemon stretched while Sarah woke William up. Even with Rascal helping by licking his face, it took a couple tries to wake him up.

They finally managed to get dressed, then walked out to the main room. They greeted Nurse Joy and told her they were done with the room, then went to have breakfast.

Once they were done, they left the Pokemon Center and headed for the Gym to say goodbye to their dad. They again saw him in the lobby when they got there. After greeting each other and introducing Ignitus, they started to leave.

"Make sure you take care of each other," Norman called to his kids.

"We will!" they promised.

As they walked, Sarah checked her Pokenav and saw that the route to the next city would be a long one.

After putting the Pokenav back in her pocket, Sarah looked at her Charmander.

"Hey Ignitus." He looked up at her.

"I need to know what attacks you know so we can train. Can you show me?"

"Char!" 'Sure' They stood patiently as he positioned himself in front of them.

He knitted his eyebrows together, thinking, then lifted his paw and slashed down, repeating it with the other paw.

"Scratch." Sarah made a note of it in her head.

Ignitus was glad she understood. He then started to run toward them, then stopped a few inches away.

"Tackle," Sarah observed. Ignitus put up two fingers in a 'Yep!' kind of way.

He went back to where he was originally standing. He stayed still for a second, then started taking in a deep breath.

Sarah's eyes grew wide as she realized what he was going to do at the last second. She was just in time to pull William to the ground and put a protective arm over him as a giant flame flew out of Ignitus's mouth and hit right where they were standing a second before.

Ignitus noticed where he was aiming, then saw the two kids on the ground. He quickly stopped the flames and looked down sheepishly.

Sarah and William uncovered their heads and looked at him, breathing a little hard from their shock.

"Flamethrower!" William said in amazement. They stood up and brushed dirt off their clothes.

"Yeah," Sarah agreed. She couldn't believe that such a young Charmander knew flamethrower.

"That was really good Ignitus, but be more careful ok? That could have been bad." "Charmander." 'Sorry.' Ignitus said as he scratched the back of his head with a little embarrassment.

Sarah didn't understand what he said, but knew he was apologizing by seeing his face.

"Good. Were those all your attacks?" Sarah asked.

"Char!" 'Yep!'

"Ok, thanks."

After they continued walking, William frowned a bit, then asked, "Hey... if Ignitus knows flamethrower, why didn't he defend himself against those Spearows?"

Sarah hadn't thought of that. They all paused and looked at him for an answer.

He was playing with his claws a bit nervously.

"It's ok," Sarah said, "You can tell us."

Ignitus turned to Saphira and told her so she could translate to Sarah.

'He says he used to be too scared of battling and never wanted to use his attacks, not even to defend himself,' Saphira translated with her grunts, 'but he really wants to try and wants to even more because he has a loving trainer.'

After hearing these words, Sarah looked at Ignitus and said, "Thanks buddy. That means a lot, and I'll do whatever I can to help you."

Ignitus ran to her and jumped into her arms, nuzzling her shirt. Sarah hugged him back as they started walking again.

They walked for hours, then stopped when William said he was hungry. They sat in a little area of the trail and ate some food that was packed before they left Oldale.

As they continued up the trail, the siblings talked while the pokemon ran around and played games.

Because their pokemon were young, they would get tired easily, and would have to be carried by their trainers. Sarah and William didn't mind, and would just smile while their pokemon appreciated the rest. Saphira didn't get tired as often, but when she did, she would rest on Sarah's shoulder.

The day went on until they came upon a beach with a stretch of water so big that they couldn't see what was on the other side. They watched the clear ocean waves splash onto the shore, breathing in the fresh ocean air. They walked by, noticing a small cottage with a boat next to it.

When the water was out of sight, they came upon an area that got thicker and thicker with trees. The sun began to be less visible through the trees' high tops. They pushed past the branches until they came upon a small trail in the forest.

It spread to the left and right. Sarah got her Pokenav, and luckily, the trail was on the map, so they went left like it said.

No light came through the tops of the trees, making it difficult to see ahead, but they didn't lose their way, thanks to the light from Ignitus's tail.

They all stayed together so they wouldn't leave their light source. They would hear some rustles from around them, making William jump and grab Sarah's arm. She wasn't scared, knowing the sounds were just pokemon. If anything was wrong, Saphira would let her know.

She checked her Pokenav once in a while to make sure they were going in the right direction, although it was still easy to go off course. There were no disturbances other than wild pokemon and William's occasional yelp.

"AHHH! What was that!?" William practically screamed, almost cutting the circulation off Sarah's arm.

Sarah made him loosen his grip before saying, "I told you before, it's just wild pokemon. Now will you stop-"

Her words ended as she almost tripped over Saphira, who had stopped walking and was in the way.

After regaining her balance, Sarah asked, "What's the matter Saphira?"

She didn't answer. She just looked ahead intently.

Sarah was about to question, then jerked her head in Saphira's direction when she heard a twig snap loudly. Some rustling began to make it's way toward them. She gulped.

"It's a monster!" William cried, now hugging Sarah so hard she couldn't breath.

"Be quiet," she whispered, half because she didn't want whatever it was to hear her, and half because there wasn't enough air in her lungs to talk louder, "And let go!"

William didn't let go, but loosened his grip enough for her to breath.

Sarah looked back at Saphira. She was still staring ahead. Sarah put her eyes back in the direction of the noise when she saw a beam of light start coming toward them. Her stomach turned upside down.

It took a second, but she then realized it was a beam from a flashlight.

They held their breath as the light got closer. It only took a second for the outline of a man to appear.

"Hello?" he called. He walked until he was in the light from Ignitus's tail.

He wasn't much taller than Sarah, and wore an expensive looking suit. His facial features suggested he was in his thirties, with a pleasant grin across his lips.

_Why would someone come into a forest wearing an expensive suit?_ Sarah thought.

"Well, hello!" he said heartily. "Are you pokemon trainers?"

The siblings glanced at each other before Sarah answered, "I am."

"Then perhaps you can help me," he said extending his hand to shake. "I'm Sam. I work for the Devon Company."

Sarah relaxed. The Devon Company was the biggest company for making very popular products, including Pokenavs.

Sarah reached out and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Sarah, and this is my brother William."

"Hi," William said.

Sam nodded.

"Um," Sarah said, trying not to sound rude, "Why are you in this forest by yourself in a suit?"

Sam chuckled. "Yes, I shouldn't be here in such nice clothes, but I was in a hurry. I'm looking for a Pokemon called Shroomish. Have you seen one?"

Sarah thought about it. They hadn't seen any pokemon, they only heard them.

"No."

"Hmm," Sam frowned a bit. "Well, perhaps I'll see one on my way back. Thanks anyway."

"Sure," Sarah nodded.

He turned to leave, then they all jumped when a low growl escaped Saphira's throat.

Sarah looked at her, and saw her looking down the trail the way Sam came.

She followed her gaze, and jumped when she saw the outline of another man step out of the trees.

Sam whipped his flashlight toward the stranger, and said shakily, "Who's there?"

The stranger didn't answer, but walked forward until he could be seen in Ignitus's light.

He wore a blue uniform with a blue bandana on his head. His build was medium and his face hard.

Sarah slowly started pushing William behind her as the man directed his words at Sam.

"Finally, I've been following you for too long in this forest."

He plucked a pokeball from his pocket, and wordlessly, a Poochyena appeared from within it.

Sam gulped. "You were following me? Why?"

The stranger grinned. "You have a new kind of pokeball with you. Hand it over." His pokemon growled.

Sam's eyes shifted a bit, then he hesitantly said, "...No."

The stranger frowned. "Are you sure that's your answer?"

Silence.

"Fine, I will take it!" the stranger yelled.

Sarah, almost like she was being pulled by an unknown force, jumped in front of Sam and said, "No!" She then noticed that Saphira joined her by standing in a battle stance in front of her.

The man's eyes flashed. A lump formed in Sarah's throat.

_What the heck am I doing!?_ Sarah thought, her sudden bravery starting to drain. _I'm crazy!_

"How dare you interfere!" the man yelled, making Sarah flinch. Saphira growled loudly. Ignitus covered his face with fear while Sam's eyes darted back and forth between the girl and pokemon protecting him, and the angry thief. William just stood there with his mouth hanging open.

"Bite!" the man commanded his pokemon, making Sarah jump. The small wolf-like pokemon tried to swerve around Saphira and aim for Sarah's leg.

He wasn't fast enough. Saphira heaved her armored head into his chest, sending him flying into the man's stomach.

The man was barely phased by the hit, and just glared at his pokemon as it stood back up.

Sarah started to sweat, fear and anxiety building in her chest. How were they supposed to get out of this? Even if they beat his pokemon, this guy looked like he would take the fight into his own hands. Then they'd be in trouble.

Her fears came true as the man suddenly advanced on them.

Sarah was caught off guard as a wall of red and orange flames came between her and the thief. She pulled herself out of her stupor, and saw Ignitus breathing his flamethrower between them.

After the flames faded, the man was standing a little farther back, pure shock on his face. Sarah and her Charmander looked at each other with looks of amusement.

Sarah turned her attention back to the thief. "Do you want it to hit you this time!?" she threatened. The man just stood there.

"Then get out of here!" she yelled.

The man recalled his pokemon, and made a run for it back the way he came.

Silence.

It was broken when Sam sighed with relief. "Thank you," he said to Sarah and her pokemon.

"No problem," Sarah said, a mixture of triumph, fear, and confusion still lingering in her chest.

"You shouldn't have done it, Team Aqua is dangerous. But I'm glad you did."

Sarah's chest got another emotion: shock.

"THAT was a Team Aqua member!?" she almost yelled. She had seen reports of them on the news, but never thought she would end up seeing one.

"Yes," Sam said gravely, "Which is why what you did could have been more dangerous if there was more than one."

Sarah looked at Saphira. She just stared back with a blank expression.

"I wish I could reward you, but I have nothing," Sam said regretfully.

Sarah turned her attention back to him. "Oh, that's fine, we were just really glad to help."

He smiled, then pulled a small pokeball out of his pocket. "Perhaps this will do." He gave it to her and she saw it was a Net Ball. It was a popular ball for catching bug and water pokemon.

"Thank you," Sarah said truthfully.

"Of course," he said with a smile. "I have to get back to Rustboro. You kids stay safe."

"We will," Sarah promised. He smiled and walked off with his flashlight guiding him.

Sarah sighed deeply then turned around to look at William. He was still standing there with his mouth open.

"William?" Sarah said with a little worry. She waved her hand in front of his face. "Hey! William!"

He jumped, then looked at her. He then beamed and said, "That was sooooo cool!!! I'm so freaked out, but that was soooo cool!!!"

Sarah shook her head and chuckled. A little while ago he was scared that there were monsters in the forest, now, when a real danger came, he just got excited.

Sarah turned her attention to her pokemon. They looked up at her with grins.

She smiled broadly and picked them up, hugging them tight.

"You guys are so brave, thanks," she praised. They cuddled against her, happy that she was proud.

"Saphira you were with me when we protected Sam," she said rustling the top of the Bagon's head. "And Ignitus, using your flamethrower to scare that guy away was a great idea!" she said, now rustling the Charmander's head.

"I'm so proud of you guys. You're the best." She hugged them one more time before putting them down.

Sarah looked at their beaming faces while she cleared her head.

"Ok, we need to get out of here," she said. "Come on." They all nodded and followed her, Ignitus prancing happily and Saphira smiling.

They walked carefully down the trail and listened for anymore loud sounds. Sarah thought while they walked.

_Is the pokeball that guy was trying to steal really worth getting killed over? Maybe Sam just didn't want a criminal win._

Her thoughts were interrupted as a pokemon made a noise, causing William to grab her arm. She didn't mind. If it made him feel better, especially after what happened, she was fine with it. She just hoped she would never have to see another Team Aqua member again.

They all perked up as the trail began to come to an end and the forest began to lighten. It got brighter and brighter, until they found themselves out of the forest, standing on a hill that overlooked Rustboro.

It was a big city with many buildings and houses. They could see the Pokemon Center from this spot, and it was pretty close to them.

They walked down the steep hill, then entered the city streets. Even though it was big, it was warm and friendly. They couldn't see the Pokemon Center anymore, so they followed the Pokenav. When they found it, their jaws dropped.

It was the biggest Pokemon Center they had ever seen. They could tell it was big from the hill, but couldn't tell just how big. It was in the shape of a dome, almost like half a pokeball, and was five stories high with big front doors.

"Awesome..." William breathed. They walked in as the automatic door opened.

They entered the main room. It had a high ceiling, and was bustling with people, conversation, and pokemon of all different kinds and sizes.

Ignitus, being the shy pokemon he was, jumped into Sarah's arms and cuddled against her shirt. He watched the people and pokemon with interest. Saphira looked around, soaking in the happy sounds that filled the air. Rascal barked happily and took repeated glances at William, who was smiling with delight. Sarah watched them all, then looked for the front counter. It was about ten yards in front of them, so they headed in that direction.

They had to push past a few people to get there, but did it without being rude.

About halfway there, a girl bumped right into Sarah, almost knocking her over. Before Sarah could apologize, the girl said, "Hey! Watch it!"

"Sorry..." Sarah said, surprised at the sudden anger from the girl. She saw a Dratini in her arms.

"That's a cute pokemon," Sarah complimented.

"I know," the girl said. She was about the same age and height as Sarah with dark blonde hair, and a hard expression.

The girl put her hard stare on Ignitus. "What's that?" then looked down at Saphira. "And that?" Ignitus felt offended while Saphira growled.

Sarah was taken aback by the venom in the girl's voice. She steadily became angry.

"They're my pokemon," she said through slightly gritted teeth, "and I would appreciate it if you wouldn't talk about them like that."

"Yeah!" William added, with Rascal trying to look fierce.

The girl ignored him and said, "Well, Kain here is better than them."

Sarah tried to suppress her growing anger. "And what makes you say that?"

"Because he is," the girl said simply. "He's strong, and can beat any pokemon."

Sarah blinked in disbelief. _What did I ever do to her?_

"Well, that's great, but you can't just insult people's pokemon."

"Whatever," the girl smirked. "I'll prove it to you in a battle sometime, but right now I'm busy." She began to walk away, saying, "My name's Amanda. Don't forget it."

Sarah watched her go, glaring, with Saphira growling the whole time.

"What a jerk!" William exclaimed when they couldn't see her anymore.

"No kidding," Sarah said. She shook her head. 'How can anyone be that rude?'

She forgot the thought as she heard a small sound coming from her arms. She looked down as she heard it again and realized it was a sob coming from Ignitus.

"Awww," Sarah said, hugging him tight. "It's ok, buddy. Don't listen to anything that girl said. You guys are the greatest." She then kissed the top of his head, causing him to cheer up right away and lick her face. She smiled, then knelt down by Saphira. She looked a bit offended by everything the girl said, so Sarah was worried.

"You know that too, right?" Sarah said. "You guys are the best, and you should never listen to anyone who talks to you that way." It was hard not to put her anger into the words.

Saphira looked up at her, a bit of hurt visible in her eyes. She nodded. They then gave each other a hug, cheering them both up. "Good," Sarah said, standing back up.

William smiled and picked Rascal up. "You're the best too! Don't forget it!" Rascal barked happily as William hugged him. Sarah smiled and motioned for them to continue walking to the front desk.

When they got there, the nurse, another Nurse Joy, greeted them. "How may I help you?" she smiled.

Sarah cleared her head of what just happened, then said,"Um, we just got here, and this Pokemon Center is so big, we were hoping you would tell us where everything is," Sarah said.

"Of course!" Nurse Joy smiled. "The cafeteria is on the second floor," she said. "The room behind me is the hospital. The room on the left is for people, and the one on the right is for pokemon. The top three floors have the rooms where people can stay." She told them where to find other small things and said, "And of course, it's all free."

"Thank you," Sarah said.

"Of course."

None of them objected to the thought of food, so they went to the elevator Nurse Joy told them about and went up to the second floor. They entered a huge cafeteria with a high ceiling, filled with dozens of round tables. They got in line for their food, then found a table.

As they ate, William said, "Hey, isn't there a gym here!?"

"Yep," Sarah answered. She watched for a minute as the pokemon talked to each other. Saphira said something, making the other two laugh.

_Well, at least she's making sure they don't think about those insults,_ she thought, proud of Saphira.

She returned her attention back to William when he asked, "Are you gonna get the badge!?"

She thought about it. She forgot that Rustboro had the first Pokemon League Badge. She started to get excited.

"Yeah, but only when we're ready."

"Yes! I can't wait to watch!"

Once they finished eating, they went back to the counter and asked Nurse Joy for a room. She checked the vacancies and gave them one on the top floor. They filled out a small form because this Pokemon Center was so big they needed records of who was in the rooms. They took the big elevator to the fifth floor.

When the door opened, it revealed a long hallway with red carpet and white doors on both sides. They followed it until they got to their room, which was close to the end. They used the card they were given to open the door and stepped inside.

The room was like the ones in the last Pokemon Center they were at, but bigger. They put their backpacks down and looked out the big window. It was still light out, the sun over the horizon, but no evening colors showed yet. They could see the whole town, and it's edge where trees started to show.

They sat down on one of the beds.

"It's still light out," William said. "What are we gonna do?"

Sarah thought. If they were going to get their first badge, they had to be ready.

"I think we should go back to the forest and train. If I'm gonna try to get the badge, I have to be ready."

"Are you gonna try tomorrow!?"

"Only if we're ready." Even though they ran into the Team Aqua member in the forest, she knew it would be fine if they didn't go too deep in the forest.

She turned to her pokemon. "Are you guys up for it?"

They both said 'Yeah!' in their pokemon language.

"Good! So let's go!" They grabbed their backpacks and locked the door behind them.

Saphira and Rascal got back in their positions on Sarah and William's shoulders, while Sarah held Ignitus in her arms. They took the elevator to the first floor, walked past the people and through the front door.

They walked back to the woods, taking the same route they took to get to the Pokemon Center. They climbed the hill, stopped long enough to catch their breath, and went into the forest, but not so far that they would get lost.

Luckily, it seemed every time they went through any kind of forest, they were able to find a clearing. The one they found here was about ten-square feet in size, and not so far in the forest that it was too dark. There was a few large boulders scattered on the clearings edge, and green grass covering the area.

"Here's a good spot," Sarah said, putting her backpack on the ground. William did the same, then sat down, Rascal jumping in his lap.

"Ok guys," Sarah said, "We'll start with... this boulder being the target, ok?" She pointed at one that was a few inches shorter than her.

Saphira and Ignitus nodded.

"Who wants to go first?"

Ignitus, willing to try, but still shy, pointed at Saphira. They all laughed.

"Ok, you first Saphira." Saphira nodded and positioned herself a few feet away from the boulder.

"Let's see how your headbutt looks," Sarah said. Saphira adopted a look of concentration, then lowered her head and ran into the boulder. The ground shook, making Sarah almost fall over. Saphira backed up with no sign of dizziness.

"Perfect!" Sarah said after regaining her balance. She started to have fun. "Let's see your new dragonbreath!"

The Bagon nodded, then opened her mouth and released a stream of blue electricity on the boulder. She held it as long as she could; about nine seconds, then closed her mouth. The rock glowed blue with electricity dancing around it for a few seconds, then went back to normal. William clapped while Rascal howled in delight.

"That was perfect, Saphira," Sarah complimented. Saphira smiled and grunted.

She turned to Ignitus. "Are you ready to try?"

He fingered his claws, still shy. He looked at Saphira. She nodded and backed away from the boulder. Ignitus gathered some confidence, stood tall and took Saphira's place in front of the rock.

Sarah smiled, satisfied. "Ok, good. First, let's see your scratch."

Ignitus took a deep breath, ran up to the boulder and slashed with both paws, leaving tiny scratches on it.

"Great!" Sarah said, causing Ignitus to enjoy himself. "Now, I can't wait to see how well you can do your flamethrower."

He nodded, then pulled in a deep breath and released the giant flame onto the rock. He was able to hold it about as long as Saphira held her dragonbreath, then closed his mouth, leaving the rock with a molten glow that lasted a few seconds longer than the dragonbreath. William clapped again and cheered.

"See how well you can do if you just try?" Sarah said, kneeling down and rustling the top of Ignitus's head. He smiled and squeaked in delight. She then turned to Saphira and did the same. Saphira smiled and laughed. "You guys are doing so good" Sarah said, very proud of them. They both smiled. Sarah stood up.

"Ok, before we work on accuracy, let's have a little fun." Saphira and Ignitus perked up.

"You guys pretend you're going to battle each other-you won't really battle each other-" she added as Ignitus cringed. He sighed in relief, "-just to see if you can scare your opponent with a battle look."

The two pokemon looked at each other and nodded. It sounded fun.

They got in positions as if they were going to battle, then concentrated on each other. They stared, and stared... then Ignitus bared his teeth and let out a growl that made William and Rascal jump. Ignitus noticed this and smiled. He looked at Saphira to see how much it scared her.

It didn't faze her at all. He looked puzzled, then watched as Saphira smiled. She stood still, making him more puzzled.

Saphira simply snorted through her nose. Ignitus yelled, turned around and ran through the trees.

Everyone laughed. William fell on his back and kicked his feet in his hilarity, while Rascal barked in a laughing way. Sarah and Saphira held their stomachs while they laughed and tried not to lose their balance.

When the laughing finally died down, Sarah felt bad that Ignitus got so scared, and said between chuckles, "Hang on, I'll go get him." William nodded, still chuckling, as she walked through the trees in the direction he ran.

She walked a few yards and was surprised he ran so far. The farther she went, the darker it got. She hoped he didn't go too far, or she wouldn't be able to see.

"Ignitus!" she called. "It's ok! Come here!"

She pushed away a few branches, then continued forward.

Suddenly, she felt something hit her foot, and she tripped, landing on her stomach. As she fell she thought she heard a strange sound.

She moaned a bit, and got on her hands and knees. She shook her head and rubbed her sore stomach a bit.

She stood up and turned around to see what she tripped over. It looked like a log. She followed it with her eyes and saw it attached to something that looked like another boulder. She squinted and tried to see what it was, but it was too dark.

She tore her eyes to the side as she heard a bit of rustling coming from her left.

_This noise in the forest is gonna get old,_ she thought as her stomach filled with butterflies.

She was surprised to see a light coming toward her. It only took her a second to realize it was Ignitus, talking to himself slightly and knocking himself on the head with his paw, as if playfully disciplining himself.

He looked up and squeaked when he saw her. He ran to her, and said something. She guessed from his expression that he was apologizing.

Sarah smiled back and looked back at the large thing she was looking at before. With the light from Ignitus's tail, she could clearly see what it was. She gasped.

It was a big, brown and green pokemon. It was laying on it's stomach, with four giant leaf-wings growing out of it's back that drooped onto the ground. It's long neck stretched out and slightly turned. A large cut about a foot away from it's head bled profusely. It must have been bleeding for a while, because a puddle started to form on the ground.

Sarah stood there with her mouth open. It shocked her so much, she actually forgot she was really seeing it.

Pulling herself out of her stupor, Sarah ran over to the pokemon and knelt by its head. Its eyes were closed, but its chest was moving up and down slightly.

Sarah hesitated, thinking it could be a dangerous pokemon. She decided it didn't matter, then shook it a bit to try and wake it up. It moaned a bit but didn't open its eyes.

She was so scared. This pokemon could be dying. She searched her mind and tried to think of what she could do.

She finally realized that Ignitus was standing next to her, his eyes darting between her and the pokemon with a mix of worry and fear in his eyes.

She returned her attention to the injured pokemon. She looked at it, then decided, _I don't care if it's dangerous. I have to do something._

She put her hand over the cut on the pokemon's neck, applied some pressure, making the pokemon groan. She froze for a second, then turned to her Charmander.

"Ignitus." He looked at her with fear in his eyes. "Go back to William and get my backpack. Bring Saphira, too."

He looked at the pokemon one more time, nodded, and dashed through the trees back to the clearing.

Sarah watched him go, then made sure she was applying enough pressure on the cut. She looked at its face, seeing it cringe. She felt sorry for it.

Her heart jumped into her throat as it started to move then slowly opened it's eyes.

She sat still as the pokemon looked ahead of itself. It blinked, then slowly turned it's eyes and looked into Sarah's.

She just stared back into its eyes, a mixture of fear and worry on her face. The pokemon's own eyes were filled with pain. There was also a questioning look. Sarah was surprised to see no fear or anger in them.

It then simply blinked, and closed its eyes again.

She tore her eyes away as she heard running footsteps. Everyone came from the clearing, Ignitus dragging Sarah's backpack.

"Ignitus! What are you-" William started, clearly chasing Ignitus because he didn't know why he took Sarah's backpack. His mouth closed abruptly as he saw the injured pokemon. He looked at Sarah, then back at the pokemon. His mouth kept opening and closing as he tried to ask what was going on.

Ignitus brought Sarah her backpack. Saphira came to her side, a look of worry on her face as she watched the pokemon.

"Ok," Sarah said, "Get the first aid kit and a potion." Ignitus nodded, opened the backpack and got the requested items as fast as he could and set them on the ground.

Sarah picked up the potion first. She carefully removed her hand from the cut and sprayed it. She was worried that the pokemon hadn't even flinched as the medicine hit his skin.

She then opened the first-aid kit and pulled out a gauze. She tore it open and placed it on the cut, re-applying pressure with both hands this time. She looked at William as he finally said, "What is that? What's going on?"

"I don't know what kind of pokemon it is," she answered. "I found it while I was looking for Ignitus."

William nodded and just looked at it.

Sarah turned to Saphira. Although Saphira was young, and didn't always know what to do, Sarah wanted to know what she thought because she didn't have any idea, and she didn't want to pressure William by asking him.

"What do we do?" she asked. "We could go get help, but how is anyone going to get a pokemon this big out of here and to a hospital?"

Saphira switched her gaze to the pokemon, clearly knowing her decision was important.

'Put him in a pokeball,' Saphira said. 'We can easily bring him to the Pokemon Center if he's in a pokeball.'

"That's perfect," Sarah said. _Why didn't I think of that?_

Saphira nodded, then walked over to Sarah's backpack, retrieved a pokeball and handed it to her. Sarah removed her hands from the cut and stood up. She threw the ball at the pokemon and they all watched it disappear inside.


	6. The Wait, and the Fate

As the pokemon was unconscious, it gave no struggle, and the ball caught it.

Sarah ran over and picked it up, and threw her backpack onto her shoulders. She wanted to get there as soon as possible, so she put Saphira on her shoulder and held Ignitus in one arm.

She turned to William. "Let's go."

William nodded, picked Rascal up, and followed her through the trees.

They pushed past the branches and made there way back to the clearing. William grabbed his bag as they ran by, as he didn't bring it with him when he was chasing Ignitus.

Using Saphira's help, they finally found there way back out of the forest.

They ran as fast as they could down the hill, almost tripping from the descent. At their speed, it didn't take long to find their way to the Pokemon Center.

They went through the doors, and without being rude, pushed past the people as fast as they could. Sarah caught herself on the front counter, almost running right into it.

Nurse Joy's face dropped as she saw them approach. She knew something was wrong.

"There's... a pokemon in here," Sarah said between gasps, "It's.. not mine and I don't know what kind it is, but... it's hurt, really bad."

Nurse Joy frowned and took the pokeball as Sarah offered it.

"We'll do what we can," she said seriously, then turned around and quickly entered the Pokemon Hospital.

Sarah closed her eyes and sighed, sweat dripping down her face. She wasn't aware of Saphira watching her from her shoulder with a worried expression. She finally looked at her, and saw her give a hopeful smile.

Sarah just looked away, her heart pounding and still trying to catch her breath. She turned around and looked at her brother who was steadily regaining his breath.

A few people stared with worried expressions. Sarah averted their eyes.

She didn't want to just stand there, so she made her way to a bathroom for both genders, her brother following.

She set Ignitus down while Saphira jumped off her shoulders. As she straightened up, she looked at her hands. They were covered in the injured pokemon's blood.

The sight made her nauseous. It wasn't the fact that it was blood: it was the fact that it was the blood of an injured pokemon. She looked up at the ceiling and closed her eyes, trying to keep a tear from falling. She cleared her head a bit, then went over to a sink and washed her hands, watching the crimson water go down the drain.

William sat down and leaned against the sink, Rascal in his lap. Sarah joined him after she dried her hands.

Sarah looked at the floor and drowned herself in her thoughts.

_What happened to him? Who could hurt a pokemon? Maybe some wild pokemon attacked him...? But why? If it was, wouldn't they just kill him instead of hurting him that bad and leaving him there...? Maybe they heard me coming and ran off. But, something just doesn't seem right..._

Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt something brush against her hand.

She jumped a bit, and looked to see Saphira had pushed her hand with her armored head. Her young eyes tried to show comfort.

She weakly smiled and rubbed the Bagon's head.

She felt something on her left this time, and looked to see Ignitus cuddling into her arm. His eyes were moist, and he still wasn't sure what was going on. Sarah rubbed his head with her other hand.

"...You think he's gonna be ok..?" William asked quietly.

She looked at him. He was looking away from her, probably trying to hide his worried face.

She was silent.

"...I don't know," she finally said. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

She just sat there and lost herself in her thoughts again.

Between all the worry and fear she was feeling when she found the pokemon, she didn't realize she had another feeling: the strange feeling she couldn't explain. The same feeling she got when she saw Ignitus for the first time.

_Why do I have to feel like that when I see a dying pokemon?_ she thought bitterly. She then berated herself for being so negative.

_He might not be dying.._ She wasn't sure if it was true.

Time was unnoticed as they sat there. Sarah tried to get rid of the strange feeling and think of what might have happened to the pokemon. She was unsuccessful in both.

_This isn't getting me anywhere.._ she thought. _I'm gonna drive myself crazy..._

Without saying anything she stood up. Everyone was abruptly pulled out of their own thoughts as they saw her walk to the door.

_Might as well see if he's gonna be ok._

She opened the door for them when they stood up. They gave her a slightly questioning look, then went through the open door. Sarah followed.

They found the main room almost empty, the rays of evening showing through the glass doors.

Sarah looked at the counter and saw Nurse Joy standing there. Not sure if she wanted to know the answer, she led the way to the counter to ask how the pokemon was.

Nurse Joy smiled as they came. Sarah noticed her face fall a bit when recognized them.

_That can't be good..._ Sarah thought.

Nurse Joy politely greeted them when they reached her.

Sarah fought the anxiousness building in her stomach, then asked, "...Is the pokemon going to be ok?"

Nurse Joy looked down a bit, knowing that was what they were going to ask.

"We don't know yet. He looks like he was attacked and took a terrible beating. The cut on his neck was deep too."

Sarah stomach lurched, and she looked down. William stood motionless, Rascal letting his tail droop. Saphira became grave, while Ignitus looked up at his trainer, not knowing what to do.

She looked back up, trying not to look upset. "When will you know?"

Nurse Joy hesitated. "Not until tomorrow."

"...Thanks."

Nurse Joy nodded. Sarah didn't know what else to do.

She started to walk away. _Wait a minute._

"...What kind of pokemon is it?"

"A Tropius." Sarah blinked. 'How could I be stupid enough to not recognize a dragon?'

She thanked the Nurse again, then walked away, everyone following.

The trip to the elevator was silent. Everyone was too wrapped up in their thoughts to say anything. They had never seen a seriously injured pokemon before, so it disturbed them greatly.

They took the elevator to the fifth floor and made their way to their room. Sarah opened the door with the card key and closed it behind her after everyone went inside.

She leaned on the door, trying to clear her head. William sat on the bed he slept on the night before, Rascal jumping onto his lap.

"...What are we gonna do now?" William asked after a minute of silence.

Sarah looked away and thought about it. There wasn't much they could do.

"We'll see how it is tomorrow, then we'll leave," she finally said. "The Center will probably let him go if he recovers."

"Ok..."

The last remnants of evening lights began to disappear, showing almost complete darkness. They took turns getting into their pajamas, and got into bed without argument. Sarah lay there awake, looking at the ceiling and thinking.

She just couldn't get rid of the image of the injured Tropius. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw it lying there in the forest.

_Geez..._ she thought bitterly, _Why am I losing sleep over a pokemon that's not mine? _ She shook off the negative thought. She clearly knew it was because she cared for all pokemon.

She started as Saphira said her name in her pokemon language.

"What?" Sarah asked, not angrily.

'You think he'd be another good addition to the team right?' Saphira asked.

Sarah stared at her baby dragon in surprise. "How did you know?"

Saphira chuckled. 'We know each other well, don't we?'

Sarah looked back at the ceiling and smiled. "Yeah... I should know I can't keep anything from my best friend." She frowned and continued.

"Well, I only caught him to save him. He's not mine. And he might not even make it." She felt sick at her own words.

'Don't talk that way, or he won't,' Saphira said. 'You don't believe that, I know you don't. You have to know he'll be ok, and he will.'

Sarah looked back at her. "I guess you do know me well.'

'Ah, but do you know me well?' Saphira joked.

Sarah smiled. "Thanks, Saphira."

'Of course.'

Keeping Saphira's words in her mind, Sarah finally fell into an uneasy sleep.

The summer sun's rays made there way through the window and onto Sarah's face. She stirred, not wanting to leave the warmth.

Her eyes shot open when she remembered Tropius. She felt a slight motion next to her, and saw Saphira awake, her face plainly showing that she was thinking the same thing.

They nodded to each other, then Sarah gently shook Ignitus until he woke up. He yawned cutely, and smiled at Sarah. He squeaked as he remembered the Tropius, then followed them as they climbed down the ladder.

They weren't making a lot of noise, but enough to wake William and Rascal up.

William yawned. He rubbed his eyes, and looked puzzled when he saw his sister already getting her clothes. All the sleep left his face as he remembered..

"The Tropius!"

"I know. Let's get dressed, then we can see how he is." William nodded, and he and Rascal got out of bed.

After they were dressed, they left the room, leaving their bags, and ran to the elevator. Sarah's stomach filled with butterflies as it headed to the first floor.

When it finally arrived, they ran to the counter. There were very few people in the room, so it only took a second to get there.

Nurse Joy saw them approach. She knew why they were there, but kept her usual happy smile.

"Hello."

"Hi," Sarah said. She was about to ask how the Tropius was, then the words caught in her throat.

_Do I really wanna know?_ she thought. She silently shook her head. _I have to know, no matter what the answer is._

"...How's the Tropius?" she managed to force herself say.

Nurse Joy was silent for a second. Sarah felt more and more sick while she waited.

"He's still weak, but he's going to be fine."

All the sickness in Sarah's stomach disappeared. She wasn't aware of the small smile that tugged at her lips.

William didn't have any trouble showing his relief.

"Yes!" he shouted, taking a leap into the air. He beamed, then turned a little red, embarrassed by his outburst. Ignitus did almost exactly what William did, as Rascal barked next to him. Saphira smiled.

_He's gonna be ok!_ Sarah thought, trying to contain her relief and excitement.

"Nurse Joy smiled at their excitement. "Would you like to see him?"

Sarah was caught off guard. She didn't think they would be allowed to see him.

"But... he's not my pokemon..."

"That's ok," Nurse Joy said. "I have a feeling he wants to see you."

She smiled at Sarah's look of confusion while she opened the Hospital's door. "Are you coming?"

Sarah pulled herself out of her stupor. "Yeah!" They all followed Nurse Joy through the door.

They entered a big room with white walls, beds lined up on the left and right.

Sarah's eyes scanned the room. Her breath caught when she saw the Tropius.

He was lying on a blanket that was placed on the floor in the very back of the room to the left. He was staring straight at them.

"This way," Nurse Joy said. Sarah's head jerked away from the Tropius as she heard the words. They followed her as she led the way.

Sarah marveled at the pokemon's size and beauty. His long neck arched itself down, his head facing their direction. His beautiful leaf-like wings rested comfortably by his side. But what she couldn't stop looking at were his solemn eyes.

They stopped about two feet in front of him. Even though he was lying down, his head was a foot above them. He had a bandage wrapped around his neck where the cut was. He seemed a bit tired, but his eyes concentrated on them.

He looked at them one by one. William waved his fingers. Rascal wagged his tail. Ignitus cocked his head and smiled. Saphira nodded, which he returned with another nod.

When his eyes reached Sarah, they didn't move. Sarah became self-conscious under his stare.

She looked away nervously for a second. When she looked back, he was still staring.

Sarah tried to end the awkward feeling by asking, "Do you feel ok?"

He blinked then nodded, showing his first signs of movement since her started looking at her.

"We were really worried about you," William added. The Tropius looked at him as he spoke. He glanced at Sarah, then turned his attention to Saphira. He began speaking in soft roars and growls.

Saphira listened, then turned to Sarah. 'He says he wants to thank you for saving his life. Without you, he would have died in the forest.'

Sarah felt warmth fill her stomach. She looked back at the Tropius, who surprised her by smiling. She felt so honored by his words, and wasn't sure what to say.

Her mouth opened a couple times before words finally came out. "Well, you're welcome, but I didn't do it by myself." She gestured at her brother and pokemon. "They helped. And without the Pokemon Center to treat you, you wouldn't have made it." She wanted to make sure he understood that she wasn't the only one who took part in helping him.

She was surprised again as his smiled broadened.

'This trainer proves much modesty and generosity,' the Tropius thought to himself. 'She must be a good human to make sure she doesn't get all the credit for what she did. Although, she is right. I just thought it fair to first thank the one who found me, brought me here, and first tried to heal me.'

His gaze stayed on Sarah while he thought. She cringed a bit, nervous that she was still being stared at, but waited curiously to hear what he had to say.

He finally broke his stare, and began talking to Saphira. When he was done, she gave the message to Sarah.

"He says he thanks everyone who helped him," Sarah passed to everyone. They all smiled, making sure he knew they were happy to help.

Sarah smiled to herself. _At least he's gonna be ok._

A strange feeling came back in her stomach as she remembered..

_I wish he could be on my team. But I can't ask him. It doesn't seem right._

"Well," she said, looking at the Tropius, "I'm glad you're gonna be ok, but we have to go." He blinked in response, not breaking his gaze.

She looked away nervously again. "Come on guys," she said, and started to walk away.

Her heart jumped in surprise as the Tropius grabbed the back of her shirt with his teeth and pulled her back a couple of inches.

She turned around and faced him quickly after he let go. "What?" she questioned. She was surprised that she wasn't scared at all. She glanced at Nurse Joy out of the corner of her eye, and was surprised to see her smiling.

He blinked at her, then talked to Saphira. She beamed.

She turned to Sarah, and said, 'He says he finds you a very honorable and loving trainer, and he would like to be your pokemon.'

Sarah's heart jumped. A gasp escaped William's mouth as his jaw dropped.

The unexpected request left Sarah with her mouth opening and closing, trying to find the right words. The Tropius blinked at her and chuckled in amusement.

She almost jumped back in surprise as he lowered his head so it was in front of her face. He looked at her with solemn eyes, waiting for an answer.

Sarah looked at him, her eyes still a bit wide. "Are you sure?" she asked. He nodded.

Sarah's body filled with warmth as she finally made herself believe he wanted to be her pokemon.

A smile slowly made it's way across her lips as she reached out her hand. When he made no move to pull away, she put her hand on his head.

"It would be awesome if you were my pokemon," she finally said. The Tropius smiled.

William's open mouth closed long enough to say "..No way.." before dropping open again. All the pokemon showed their happiness in their own way.

"Well," Sarah said, moving her hand away from him, "You already have a Pokeball. I used it to bring you here."

She watched, confused, as the Tropius let out a snort and shook his head. Sarah grinned slyly.

"What do you think of Pokeballs?" she asked. He answered with a sound almost like a sneeze.

Saphira chuckled before translating, 'Distasteful.'

Sarah let a wide smile play across her face. _Wow. A lot of people would probably hate having a team of pokemon that won't go in their pokeballs. But I love it!_

She gestured for Saphira to tell him the same thing about pokeballs that she told Ignitus. When she was done, the Tropius smiled, then grunted.

He says thank you,' Saphira said.

Sarah looked at him. "It's no problem. I actually prefer it." His smile widened.

His eyes drooped a bit, then he gave a long, neck-stretching yawn. They all laughed.

"You should probably stay here and rest for now," Sarah told him. He nodded.

"We'll leave when you're ready, but there's no rush. Stay as long as you need to." He nodded again.

Sarah thought of something, then asked, "Do you have a name?"

He shook his head.

"Then I'll think of one and come back when I have one I think you'll like." He smiled, and nodded again.

She looked at him one more time and smiled.

"Ok, let's go," she said to her brother and other pokemon. She pulled William out of his mouth-dropping trance, then waved goodbye to their new teammate before walking out the door.

"I can't wait until he can leave the Center!" William said excitedly, finally recovered from his long jaw drop.

"Me either," Sarah agreed. She hoped he would be able to recover well and quickly, but right now, she was excited about trying to think of a name for him.

The main room was now much busier with people getting ready for their day.

"You can come and get him whenever you're ready," Nurse Joy said before she went back behind the counter.

"Thanks," Sarah said. She then lost herself in her excitement.

_Hmmm... What should I name him? It's gonna be hard to find a name for a pokemon as cool as him. Maybe-_

She was interrupted as her brother called her name.

"What?"

"Can we eat now?"

Sarah looked at him and the pokemon. They went straight to the hospital to check on the Tropius and hadn't eaten.

"Oh yeah," she said. "Come on, let's get in line."

After waiting in line, they found a table where they could sit with just themselves.

They all ate appreciatively, as they waited too long and were really hungry.

Ignitus and Saphira were sharing a happy conversation, while William talked to Rascal in an overly energetic voice, occasionally talking to Sarah. She mostly just tried to think of a great name. They were done in a half hour.

"What are we gonna do now?" William asked.

Sarah thought for a minute. She was excited about the Tropius, but knew she couldn't cut back on training.

"Well, maybe we could go back and train some more. Then we can check on the Tropius."

"In the forest?" William asked.

"Yeah."

William frowned. "Every time we go on there, something bad happens.

_He's right._ She didn't even think about that. She turned her attention to Saphira when she tugged on her arm

"What?"

'The second thing that happened wasn't bad: it was fortunate.'

Sarah thought about it. _Yeah, she's right. It's good that we were in there because we saved the Tropius._ She passed this on to William.

"Oh," he said. "You're right, I didn't think about that."

"Then are you guys ready?" They all nodded.

They took the elevator back to their room and got their backpacks, then left the Pokemon Center. Sarah just smiled to herself while she tried to think of a name.

They made their way out of the city and back to the forest. They were able to find the same spot they used last time with their Pokemon sniffing it out.

Even though it was the middle of the morning, the light was the same as it was the night before because of the treetops. Ignitus's tail provided enough light.

Sarah set her bag on the ground while William absent-mindedly patted his pokemon, who sat on his lap.

Sarah turned to her pokemon. "Ok. "We'll use that boulder," she said, pointing at the boulder she figured was the same one they used last time, "then we'll work on accuracy." Ignitus and Saphira nodded.

_Wonder if Ignitus will want to go first this time,_ she thought, chuckling at what happened last time.

"Who wants to go first?"

Ignitus glanced at Saphira, who was looking at him. He hesitated, then eagerly raised his paw.

_Wow. He's finally getting more confidence._

"That's the spirit buddy!"

Ignitus squeaked and scratched the back of his head while he took his place in front of the rock. He put on a battle look and stared at the boulder as if it was an opponent.

"Ok, let's start with something simple. Use scratch."

Ignitus just stood there. Sarah and Saphira glanced at each other, then waited.

He still didn't move. He looked like he was concentrating.

_Is he losing his confidence already?_

Puzzled, Sarah asked, "What's the matter?" Ignitus looked at his paw.

She frowned, then said encouragingly, "Come on, You already made progress by wanting to go first. You can-"

She stopped as Ignitus ran up to the boulder, jumped, and slashed down. When his nails made contact with the rock, there was an ear-piercing screech that made everyone cover their ears.

Sarah gritted her teeth as it sounded. Her knees almost buckled. William yelled and put his head on the ground while Rascal hid under his arm. Saphira closed her eyes tight.

The attack was over in a few seconds. Sarah opened her eyes and hesitantly moved her hands from her ears. Ignitus looked at her smiling, then put up two fingers.

_What the...? Wait a minute!_

"That was Metal Claw!" Ignitus nodded, a grin of confidence on his face.

"Whoa," Sarah heard William say from behind her, as he started sitting back up.

Sarah walked over to Ignitus and rustled his head. "See? You had more confidence in yourself, and you learned a new move!" He squeaked while he proudly took the compliment.

Sarah backed away, filled with pride for her pokemon. She grinned slyly.

"Do it again!" she yelled, covering her ears in advance. At her words, everyone else covered their ears immediately as Ignitus ran up to the boulder. The attack made the same piercing sound, but was over quickly.

When it was over, William sat back up, groaning. "Is it going to make that much noise every time?"

Sarah let herself recover from the noise for a second, then said, "No. It only does that because he hit a rock, so, we're done with that move for now."

William sighed in relief. Rascal rested his head on William's leg, also relieved.

They worked on his other attacks, then Saphira worked on hers. She encouraged them to do their best, and was very satisfied at their improvements.

They practiced their breath attacks on the rocks a few times, trying to build up the power and time they could hold it. When they were done, they were able to hold them a few seconds longer than before.

Sarah then got a few sticks and rocks together to work on accuracy. She would hold the stick and move it around when they would use their physical attacks. Although it was a good idea and made her pokemon faster in their reflexes, she would occasionally get hit in the leg when they missed. The first few times, her pokemon panicked and felt guilty. It did hurt, but Sarah convinced them it was ok, and they eventually stopped worrying about it.

After that, Sarah would throw a small rock up in the air for them to aim their breath attacks on. It was a little hard at first, but they quickly gained accuracy and power. They even managed to melt some of the rocks.

Exhausted, they all took a break, satisfied in their improvements.

When Sarah checked her watch, she was surprised to see that it was a little after noon.

They all agreed it was time to get back, so Sarah and William got their bags, then they all made their way back to the Pokemon Center.

As usual, it was busy in the main room. The hard training had made them all hungry, so they go their food and sat at a table.

As they ate, William asked, "Did you think of a name yet?"

"No," Sarah answered.

"Have any ideas?"

"Not really."

Sarah remembered something, then almost smacked herself.

_Wow, I'm dense. I got Saphira and Ignitus's names from my book! Why can't I get one for the Tropius?_

Before she and her family moved to Littleroot town, Sarah got a book when they went shopping one day. She of course loved it because it was about dragon-type and dragon-like Pokemon. If a pokemon was a dragon-type or dragon-like, it didn't matter. They were called dragons.

It gave information on all dragon Pokemon. It even listed some who had done brave acts in the past, and all the ones that participated in winning the Pokemon League.

_There were Tropiuses in that book. Why didn't I recognize it when I saw mine? Probably because there were so many cool dragons, I didn't always remember what types they were. And I had to try to get to know some other pokemon too._

She liked a lot of the names, and when Saphira hatched, she named her after her favorite name in the book. When she found Ignitus, she made up the name by mixing a couple more that she liked.

But she finally remembered a great name from the book that would be perfect for the Tropius.

After breaking out of her train of thought, Sarah said, "Hey, let's go visit the Tropius when we're done."

William got excited. "Can he leave now?"

"That's up to him. But, I do have a name for him."

William beamed. "Really!? What is it!?"

Sarah chuckled at his excitement. "You'll find out."

William scrunched his eyebrows, thinking. "Is it from that book like Saphira's?" William used to ask Sarah to read the book to him, and he liked looking at the pictures. Her family asked where she got the name, so she told them.

"Yep," Sarah answered. She chuckled again as she saw him try to remember the names he heard in the book. He shook his head, and tried to finish his food faster, eager to hear the name.

It only took them a few more minutes to finish (William finished first.) When they were ready, they made there way to the front desk.

"Hello," Nurse Joy greeted them.

"Hi," Sarah said. "Can we see the Tropius? It's ok if he's not ready to go, but I want to tell him something."

"Of course," Nurse Joy said. "This way." She led them through the hospital's door.

When they got in, they saw the Tropius in the same area of the room. He looked at them when they came in, his solemn gaze fixed on them as they approached.

Sarah smiled to him when they got there. He glanced at everyone, then put Sarah back under his usual stare.

_I guess I'm gonna have to get used to that,_ Sarah chuckled to herself.

"Hey. Do you feel any better?" He nodded.

"Good." She returned his stare.

"I think I found a good name for you." He blinked as a small grinned played across his mouth.

Sarah smiled back. "Let me know if you don't like it." He nodded again.

"Ok." She paused. "What do you think about... Glaedr?"

The Tropius simply blinked. His eyes showed no sign of satisfaction or disappointment.

Sarah waited, and began to think he didn't like it. She felt bad and started to apologize.

Before she could, he smiled and nodded.

Sarah smiled with relief. "Good, I thought you'd like it."

Glaedr gave a friendly growl.

"I remember that name," William said excitedly, "It was awesome."

Sarah chuckled to herself. It seemed like he was always saying everything she did was awesome.

She turned her attention back to Glaedr. "Well, we'll let you rest for now and come back later to see if you're ready."

She was surprised when she saw him stand up.

"Whoa," Sarah said, a little concerned, "You don't have to go right now." But Glaedr stood, showing no signs of fatigue. In fact, if it weren't for the bandage around his neck, you'd think he was in perfect health. She saw in his calm eyes that he was ready.

"Ok," Sarah said with a smile. "Let's go." Glaedr grunted and shuffled his wings.

Nurse Joy smiled. "The cut will take a little more time to heal, so the bandage can come off in a few more days."

"Ok," Sarah said, making sure she would remember it. She looked back at Glaedr's tall form.

"Let's go."

He followed them as they walked to the door. Sarah chuckled while she heard William talking to himself with an excited tone.

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Sorry I forgot to put in Ignitus's name pronunciation. Here it is along with Glaedr's.

Glaedr- Glay-dur (Glay rhymes with clay, dur rhymes with fur)

Ignitus- Ig-night-iss


	7. Realizing a Dream

Sorry it took so long to put up this chapter. I was having too much fun writing my AAMLs. I'm sorry that this chapter is kind of short, but there will be more to come.

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Sarah stared up at the towering dragon after the hospital's door shut behind them.

_I can't believe how fast I got three pokemon!_ she thought. Maybe too fast... _Nah. They're better then I could've imagined._ She had no regrets, because she knew that these pokemon came to her the way they did and the time they did because it was fate.

And, even thought it was a team that came to her fast, Sarah felt her team was complete.

After she finally removed her eyes from the brown and green pokemon, Sarah noticed some of the people in the main room had stopped to marvel at him. There were a lot of pokemon in the room, big and small, but Glaedr was the biggest.

"Whoa, a Tropius!" A small boy marveled.

A small girl stood next to him. "It's huge!"

Sarah smiled and looked at Glaedr for his reaction. He shuffled his wings and

roared softly, making the small children back away slightly, but beam with pleasure.

Sarah smiled at him. _Well, he likes to entertain, but he's not a show-off. That's good._

"Ok guys, we should go." She picked up her two small pokemon while William picked up Rascal, then went through the crowd, waving to the wide-eyed kids.

Getting to the door was pretty easy, as people would make sure they weren't in the way of such a big pokemon. Some just watched him, and made comments.

_Geez,_ Sarah thought, but not bitterly, _Hope we don't always attract this much attention._

When leaving the Pokemon Center, they entered a beautiful day with a warm, light breeze. They all appreciated the fresh air. Glaedr stuck his head in the air and closed his eyes in contentment.

Sarah set her pokemon down, then stretched.

_Wow,_ she thought, _The day's only half over, and we've done enough things to equal a full one. Actually, with all the stuff we've done in the past few days, it seems like it all should've taken us a week._

She looked up at Glaedr, who was still breathing in the fresh breeze, obviously happy to get out of the building.

She smiled, then looked at her other pokemon. Saphira was watching Ignitus with a smirk as he did a goofy little dance to show how much he liked the beautiful day.

"So, what are we gonna do now?" William asked excitedly. Sarah looked at him, Rascal still in his arms.

"Well..." Sarah thought. She didn't want to rush anymore. It seemed like things were going a little too fast.

_I know Glaedr feels a lot better, but I doubt he wants to train. But I know he won't mind if Saphira and Ignitus train for a while._

"How about we go back to the forest and train a little more?" She looked at Glaedr. "Are you ok with going back there?" He nodded, showing no signs of resisting.

"Ok. You don't have to train either. You can keep resting."

They jumped a bit when he lifted his wings. He paused and spoke to Saphira. She answered with a few small growls, then he took off in a rush of air.

Sarah watched him as he did a spiral, then flew toward the woods. _Awesome..._

She then looked at Saphira to hear what the conversation was. She was puzzled when she saw her staring at Glaedr with a look of longing.

Sarah's heart dropped. _Oh…_she thought, a sympathetic look on her face._ She really wants to fly._

Before she could say anything to make her feel better, Saphira turned to her and repeated the conversation she had with Glaedr.

'He wanted to know where to meet us, so I told him to wait on the hill by the city's entrance.'

Sarah looked into her friend's eyes. Saphira managed to remove all the feelings she had before she spoke.

Sarah sighed, then said, "Ok. Come on."

They walked through the streets and started to walk down the trail to the hill. They could see Glaedr already sitting on it waiting for them.

The siblings carried their pokemon up the steep hill, wanting to save some time. They set them down when they reached the top, and stopped to catch their breath as Glaedr approached them.

"I'm really glad you're well enough to fly," Sarah said after her breath started returning. Glaedr smiled and nodded.

The trees in the forest were far enough apart for Glaedr to get in, so they all entered.

They found the same clearing with no problem.

Sarah looked around the clearing, thinking.

_Maybe… Maybe Glaedr can tell us what happened to him. He might not want to talk about it, but I really do want to know._

Keeping this in mind, Sarah said, "Let's rest for a little while guys, there's no rush."

They agreed, so Sarah and William sat next to each other with their pokemon in their laps. Glaedr curled up behind them, but positioned himself so he could still look at them.

They sat there for a minute, patting their pokemons' heads, just enjoying the quiet.

_Might as well ask him now,_ Sarah thought. _Gotta try to ask the right words._

She thought for a minute, then just said "Glaedr?" He turned his solemn gaze on her.

She hesitated. "...How did you get hurt?" Everyone looked at her. They were a little surprised at the sudden question. They were curious too, so they turned their attention to Glaedr.

Sarah felt bad as she saw his soft eyes change to anger.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, "You don't have to tell us, we just wanted to know what happened."

Glaedr's watched her for a minute as his eyes softened again.

He turned to Saphira. He began speaking in soft roars and growls.

He spoke for a while. Sarah couldn't understand him, but watched his eyes, and saw as the emotions changed from fear, anger, and sadness.

He continued to look at Saphira after he was done. Saphira paused, then looked at Sarah. She watched her best friend, eager to hear the story.

'The day he got hurt, he was flying around this area,' Saphira said. 'He flew over an open field, and saw people in blue uniforms circling some pokemon.'

Sarah switched her gaze to Glaedr, whose eyes now showed anger.

'Team Aqua,' she thought. She silently fumed, then turned her attention back to Saphira.

'He looked closer, and saw that the people were trying to catch the pokemon, but purposely hurting them at the same time,' Saphira continued. 'They used their own pokemon to round them up, and injure them if they tried to run away.'

Sarah's eyes flashed. She continued to listen, anger building in her chest.

'He became angry at the sight, and flew down to stop them. When he landed, he roared to scare them away. The people's pokemon were startled and ran back to their trainer's, letting the wild pokemon get away. This, of course, angered them, so ordered their pokemon to attack Glaedr before he could escape. He battled them, but was seriously outnumbered. He won the battle, but took a terrible beating from their attacks, including the cut on his neck, which he got from a Mightyena's claws. He managed to fly away and lose the people, but collapsed as he walked through the woods.'

Sarah just sat there. Her heart pounded as she boiled with anger. She switched her gaze back to Glaedr. His eyes were now soft, but sad. Rascal's tail drooped, while Ignitus hugged his trainer, looking scared.

William glanced back and forth at them. "What did they say?" he asked. Sarah was so mad at what she just heard that she forgot William couldn't understand. She took a minute to tell him.

She felt bad as she saw her brother's face drop gradually as the story was told. By the time she was done, his face was unreadable.

He glanced at the ground, then looked back at Sarah, some emotion returning to his face.

"But..." he started to say. "Why? Why would they hurt a pokemon?" he switched his gaze to Glaedr.

Sarah fumed silently. She was sad, but her anger overpowered it.

"Because they don't care about pokemon," she said in an undertone. "They don't care about anyone."

She took a deep breath, calming herself a bit. She looked at Glaedr, who was staring at her, as usual.

She smiled and put a hand on his side. "What you did was really brave. You saved those pokemon."

He smiled, and a small humming sound starting vibrating from his throat.

She watched him for a minute, her anger gradually disappearing.

When she was finally calm, she turned to everyone else. "Ok. We've had too many dangerous run-ins with Team Aqua. So that means our rule is: stay away from them." Everyone agreed without argument.

William's face displayed some fear. "But what if they come to us?"

"Then we'll take care of it," Sarah said. "We'll fight if we have to, but it's better to just stay away." He nodded, feeling a little better.

Sarah watched the faces of her companions. Some of them showed fear, some were unreadable.

_Better think of something to do. They'll get scared if they just keep sitting here thinking about it._

She stood up and said, "Ok, maybe we should do some training. What do you think guys?"

Her pokemon looked like they might refuse, then displayed smiles and determination on their faces.

"Good," she said. She walked over to the boulder.

"We'll start with the usual. Who's first?"

Everyone was surprised when Glaedr stood and made his way to the boulder.

Sarah watched, a little shocked. "Glaedr, I said you didn't have to train. You can rest."

Glaedr shook his head roughly, then said something that Saphira translated.

'He says he's fine, and wants to get back into battling.'

Sarah looked back at the determination in the Tropius's eyes.

"Ok," she smiled. "Let's see your attacks."

Glaedr nodded, then positioned himself in front of the rock.

He began flapping his wings at the rock, gaining speed with every second. Then, razor sharp leaves flew from them and hit the boulder with a slicing sound, leaving deep cuts in it.

"Razor Leaf," Sarah said after his wings stopped flapping. Glaedr returned his attention to the damaged boulder.

He scraped his talons on the ground, leaving cuts in the earth, then ran for the boulder, slamming his body into it. The ground shook, and he backed away, unharmed.

Sarah almost fell over as the ground shook. After she regained her balance, she said, "Body Slam!"

Glaedr nodded, then looked at the rock. He closed his eyes, concentrating, then opened his mouth, and released a glowing green beam onto the boulder, making it crack.

"Solarbeam!" Sarah marveled. She never saw one up close before.

Glaedr looked at her, the spoke to Saphira.

'He says his other moves are done in the air,' Saphira translated. 'He can't do them here, so he says they're Aerial Ace and Wing Attack. He can do Wing Attack here, but he doesn't want to cause to much wind with his wings.'

Sarah returned her attention to Glaedr. "Ok, good. That's enough for now. I don't want you to overdo it." Even though he said he was fine, Sarah was protective of the people and pokemon she cared about and loved. Glaedr nodded, and lay down behind William.

"So," Sarah said, looking at her other pokemon, "You want to be ready to get a badge tomorrow?" The two cheered.

"Then let's train!"

The next few hours were spent doing training drills, similar to what they did before.

Sarah knew that they were getting better, because when Saphira was practicing her headbutt on a stick that Sarah was moving around, she missed, and when she hit Sarah's leg, she fell over. The attack left a big bruise on her shin. It took her a while to convince her pokemon that she was ok, then decided that they were too strong to keep doing that. Instead, the two pokemon gently tried attacks on each other.

They took short rests between drills, but when the training was done, they were exhausted.

Sarah leaned her back against Glaedr's side, closing her eyes. Saphira and Ignitus sat on either side of her, smiling at their improvement. William scratched Rascal's head while he complemented all of them.

"Wow, Ignitus's flamethrower is so cool, so is Saphira's dragonbreath, will Saphira ever breath more fire than ember? What about..." Sarah chuckled as the compliments and questions flew out of her brother's mouth.

"When Saphira becomes a more matured dragon," Sarah said after she got her brother to stop asking questions, "she should be able to breathe just as much fire as Ignitus."

"What about Glaedr?" William asked, shifting his eyes to the green dragon that lay behind them.

Sarah shook her head. "Glaedr is a grass elemental dragon. His solarbeam his like his flame." William nodded, very interested in the information.

"How do you know so much about dragons?" William asked, returning his attention to his sister.

"Well," Sarah said, a thoughtful look on her face, "My book gave a lot of information on them, and I've always loved dragon pokemon, so I find out as much as I can." Her eyes started to show passion.

"I love all pokemon, but… there's something about dragons that's just so..." she stopped, not sure how to word it. She looked at her pokemon. "I never thought I'd get three dragons as my pokemon; as my friends." Her dragons looked at her with smiles.

William's scrunched up his face, thinking hard. He smiled widely, then said, "Hey Sarah, you want to be a pokemon Master, right?"

Sarah looked at him questioningly. "Well yeah, of course. That's why I'm on this journey. You know that."

"Yeah, I know," William said excitedly, " But you love dragons, and you have three, so why don't you try to be... a Dragon Master!?"

Sarah's eyes widened and her heart jumped into her throat.

"Dragon Master?" she repeated, the words feeling so wonderful.

"Yeah!" William said, "Wouldn't that be awesome!?"

Sarah looked ahead of herself. She never thought of that...

"Well," she said, "There's already a Dragon Master, and I'd never be as good as him."

William looked confused. "There is?"

"Yeah," Sarah said, surprised that he didn't know. "Drake the Dragon Master of the Elite Four. Remember?"

"Oh yeah..." William said, his memory finally jogged. "But that doesn't mean you can't be a Dragon Master. You don't have to be part of the Elite Four to be one."

"Yeah…" Sarah said, looking ahead of herself. "If I can get that good..."

She gulped a little with guilt and looked at her dragons. "I'm sorry guys, I'm not trying to say that _you_ wouldn't be good enough. You could beat any other dragon any day. I'm just not sure if _I_ could be that good..."

Saphira nudged Sarah's hand. Sarah looked at her. "What?"

'You have the determination and desire to be a Dragon Master,' Saphira said. Her eyes softened. 'But more importantly, you have the heart."

Sarah smiled at her Bagon, a tear almost coming to her eye. She picked the baby dragon up and hugged her. "Thanks, Saphira." Saphira hugged back.

Ignitus hugged Sarah's arm, squeaking with a smile. Sarah picked him up and hugged him, then gave a broad smile to Glaedr, who grinned and nodded in return.

Sarah nuzzled the pokemon, then put them down. "Well," she said, looking at them, "Let's do our best, and see if we have what it takes to earn the name 'Dragon Master.'"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

For anyone interested, here's a Character Biography Section. It will be updated as the story goes.

Sarah- New Pokemon trainer starting in Hoenn. Her first pokemon was a Bagon that she named Saphira, and hatched and raised from an egg.

Sarah is a kind person, always wanting to give to others. When someone is in need, she has to help them. Although she is excited about her journey, she questions her abilities.

William- Sarah's little brother, and best friend. He has a very energetic personality, and likes to ask questions.

William was upset that Sarah was going to leave on her journey so, after getting permission form her and their parents, he joined her. He is proud of his sister, and is always cheering her on, with his pokemon Rascal.

Saphira- A young Bagon that Sarah found when she was an egg.

Although young, Saphira is a wise dragon, sometimes wiser than Sarah. She supports Sarah's dream to be a Pokemon Master, and helps her in every way that she can.

Ignitus- A young Charmander, rescued by Sarah and the gang when he was being attacked by wild Spearows.

Ignitus is very shy, and was afraid to use his fighting abilities. When he met Sarah, he decided to join her team, and try his best to overcome his fear and be a strong pokemon.

Glaedr- A young Tropius, rescued by Sarah and the gang when they found him injured in the woods.

Glaedr possesses wisdom beyond his age, and recognizes Sarah as a gentle and giving person. He joined her, knowing that it would be a good path for him to be with a human with a good heart, and that would treat him like a best friend.

Rascal- A young Zigzagoon

Rascal has a happy personality, and met Sarah and the gang in Oldale. He grew attached to William right away, and is now his companion, and will one day be his partner when William starts a pokemon journey.


	8. Battles Within, and Battle for the Badge

Here's the next chapter. Sorry it took so long, and I'm sure the length of this one will make up for how short the last one was. Also, I finally thought of a last name for the siblings. Enjoy.

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With a new dream in mind, Sarah and the gang head back to Rustboro city for the day. They all ate in the Pokemon Center, including Glaedr, then stayed at their table to talk.

"You would be a better Dragon Master than Lance!" William told his sister with confidence. His Zigzagoon sat on his lap, tail wagging excitedly and barking in agreement.

Sarah sat with Saphira in her lap, scratching the Bagon's head, much to her delight, and watching Ignitus as he batted at the flame on his tail.

Sarah chuckled at Ignitus's goofiness, then turned to William. "I really appreciate that you believe in me, William, but you can't get your hopes up. Think about it: Lance is part of the Elite Four." She tried to be as convincing as she could. "You have to be REALLY good to be part of the Elite Four."

William rolled his eyes playfully. "I know! That's why I know you can beat him."

Sarah smirked, wishing he'd be a bit more realistic, but thanked him. It made her feel good that he believed in her so much.

She stared off into space, still scratching Saphira's head, then returned her attention to William. "Hey, we haven't called mom for a while. We should tell her how we're doing, and show her Ignitus and Glaedr."

"Yeah, let's go!" William said, standing up and cuddling Rascal in his arms.

Sarah placed Saphira on her shoulder, then picked up Ignitus, who finally stopped playing with the flame on his tail, then walked over to a phone, Glaedr walking behind them.

She balanced Ignitus in one arm, then dialed their home phone. It took no time fort their mom to appear on the screen.

"Hi mom," Sarah smiled.

"Hi!" William waved.

"Sarah! William! Where are y…. Sarah? Is that a Charmander?"

Ignitus beamed and put his paw up in a little wave.

Sarah hugged him. "Yeah, this is Ignitus."

"Oh! He's so cute!" their mother exclaimed. Ignitus scratched the back of his head and blushed.

"Where did you get him?" Sarah summed up the events of finding the orange dragon.

"Oh, the poor thing…" their mother said, frowning a bit. "Well, at least he's with two wonderful kids now. They'll take good care of you, little one." Ignitus smiled broadly and waved again.

"So, where are you?" their mother asked.

"Rustboro City."

"Wow. That's a big one. When did you get there?"

"Yesterday."

"You're really traveling fast." _Maybe too fast,_ Sarah thought, thinking of how fast she got three pokemon. But it didn't bother her. She couldn't ask for better pokemon, or better friends.

Reminding herself that she had three pokemon, Sarah peeked to her left. Glaedr turned his eyes to her and smiled slyly. He seemed to know that his size might shock their mother. Sarah smirked, thinking the same thing, then made a small motion for him to come over.

As he did, their mother's jaw dropped and her eyes widened. The large dragon lowered his head and looked into the screen, smiling.

"Oh, my!" she said, her jaw still dropped. William put a hand to his mouth and giggled. Rascal looked into his master's face and wagged his tail excitedly.

"Is that… What is that?" their mother stammered.

"This is a Tropius," Sarah explained, looking at the green dragon proudly. "His name is Glaedr."

After finally closing her mouth, their mother said, "Where did you find him?" Her eyes were still a bit wide, but she smiled at the pokemon.

Sarah explained the events of rescuing him. The memories and the worry she felt left her stomach feeling a little upset.

"Oh…" their mother frowned sympathetically at the green dragon. "You're ok now, right?" Glaedr nodded, smiling reassuringly.

"That's wonderful…" she sighed. She glanced at the floor in front of her and frowned. "I knew Team Aqua would be a problem… you all have to be careful." Her tone became more serious. "If anything happens, you're coming straight home."

"No, we'll be fine," Sarah reassured, slightly shaking her head. "We got these guys to protect us," she said, gesturing at her pokemon. They all nodded.

"Ok," their mother smiled, "You all be careful." She gave Saphira a broad smile. "You keep my children safe, ok Saphira?" Her tone was serious. The baby dragon gave a triumphant nod. Sarah noticed that Saphira looked very determined to keep that promise.

Their mother turned to the other pokemon. "The same goes for the rest of you." They all nodded, reassuring smiles on their faces.

"Good." Her face brightened. "I love you! Just call me if you need anything!"

"We love you too!" the siblings said in unison, each pokemon bidding farewell in their own language. They hung up after the screen went blank.

"Wow," Sarah said after she hung up the receiver. She looked at her brother. "I'm glad we didn't tell her that we ran into a Team Aqua member in the forest." William let out a relieved sigh and nodded.

They turned around quickly as they heard a sudden rumble behind them. They found Glaedr growling, his face in a frown, his eyes full of rage.

"Glaedr..?" Sarah asked, concerned and nervous at his sudden anger. "What's wrong?"

Saphira nudged Sarah's cheek with a small paw. 'He wants to know what happened in the forest,' she said, not even needing to ask Glaedr.

Sarah frowned and looked at him. "It wasn't a big deal, Glaedr," she said, trying to sound convincing. Glaedr looked into her eyes. He lifted his lip, and let out a small growl. He wouldn't believe that it was nothing. Not with Team Aqua.

Sarah eyed him, then sighed. "Alright. Just don't get mad, ok?" She explained what happened in the forest as accurately as she could. Glaedr listened the whole time, watching her. He seemed calm now, his only movement his blinking eyes.

"So, we handled it," Sarah finished. She looked at Glaedr for his reaction, hoping that her explanation was good enough, and hoping it wouldn't anger him.

The green dragon blinked, then his chest heaved as he curled his lip and let out a vicious growl that bubbled in his throat.

"Glaedr, it's ok," Sarah said, rushing to his side and putting a hand on his shoulder. She bit her lip nervously as some people started eyeing him. William backed away a bit and watched his sister try to calm the angry dragon.

"Don't worry about it, it's in the past." She slightly rubbed his side. The growl faded, and his stare softened as he looked at her.

"I know it's frustrating that they can get away with all the things they do, but we can't do much about it." The thought frustrated her too, but she hoped that Glaedr would realize the truth in it. Her eyes shifted a bit as she tried to think of something else to say. She looked at him and smiled. "At least you did stop them from hurting some pokemon."

Glaedr looked at her for a minute. He let out a small sigh, and smiled warmly, his eyes returning to their solemn gaze.

Sarah smiled, patting his side lightly. "We'll take care of each other. I know you won't let anything happen to us, and we won't let anything happen to any of you."

Glaedr looked at her with a gentle stare, then nodded. She could still tell that the mention of Team Aqua still pained him, but knew that it would be ok. William came closer and smiled reassuringly at the dragon.

Sarah nodded, then looked outside. The sky was orange, the horizon a deep red as the sun began to set.

Trying to get things back to normal, she said, "Maybe we should get settled in our room." She looked at the floor when she suddenly thought of something.

_Wait a minute… how's Glaedr supposed to get in the room?_

She looked back up at him and voiced her thoughts. "What about you? The rooms are big, but I don't think you'd fit through the door."

Glaedr blinked, not thinking of it as a problem, and spoke to Saphira.

Sarah switched her gaze between the two pokemon as the words were exchanged. _This works, but I can't wait until I can just understand what he says myself._

'He says that he can just stay in the woods,' Saphira said from Sarah's shoulder. 'It will fine with him because he's used to it.'

Sarah returned her attention to Glaedr. She wasn't sure if she liked that idea. "Are you sure? What if something bad happens, like with Team Aqua?" Her tone was full of more concern than she meant it to be. "Maybe we should just camp with you."

Glaedr used soft growls to speak to Saphira.

'He says that it's not necessary and he'll be fine.'

Sarah eyed Glaedr, unsure of it. He smiled and nodded. Trying to push her worry away, Sarah sighed and said, "Ok. Just be careful." Glaedr nodded, growled a small goodbye, then headed on his own to the doors. They watched him until he left the Pokemon Center, and couldn't see him anymore.

Sarah pushed away her growing worry, and said, "Come on." Everyone followed her as she made her way to the elevator.

After making their way to their room, the siblings set their pokemon down. Sarah looked out the window at the red sunset, hoping Glaedr would be ok. The day was long and tiring, so they all went to bed.

The moon rose and cast a soft glow through the window of the traveler's room as Sarah lay awake, watching the white sphere absentmindedly.

_I'm sure he knows how to take care of himself,_ Sarah reassured herself. _He was a wild pokemon for his whole life before he joined us. …But still… Team Aqua might show up again… I hate worrying so much…_

Sarah shifted slightly, trying to get a bit more comfortable. She checked on her young Bagon to make sure she hadn't woken up. She lay peacefully next to her. She glanced to her other side to check on her Charmander. He briefly batted at his own face, then laid still again, chest moving up and down with his breathing.

Sarah returned her attention to the moon, losing herself in her thoughts again.

_I never thought that I'd already have three pokemon_… _It seemed to happen so fast… _She had no regrets though; she knew that these pokemon were fated to come to her. She knew from the moment she saw them that they would make a great team.

She jumped a bit as she heard soft words spoken next to her. 'Are you worrying about Glaedr?' She looked at her young Bagon; she was awake, and talking to her.

"Oh sorry, did I wake you?" Sarah whispered.

'No. I was already awake.'

Sarah was puzzled. Moments ago, she saw her asleep. "Why?"

Saphira switched her gaze to the moon. Sarah watched the pokemon, trying to figure out what she was thinking.

Ever since Saphira hatched, she and Sarah had formed a close bond. It started off as a bit of a motherhood roll for Sarah, and a bit still remained in her needing to protect the small dragon. But as time went by, it grew into a deep friendship. It was like the friendship Sarah had with William, but… different. It was just as deep, but on a different level. It was like they were meant to be a team, like Sarah was meant to find the other two pokemon.

They got pretty good at figuring out what the other was thinking, but it was still hard to tell sometimes, as Saphira was young, so they hadn't been together too long. That's what was happening right now. Sarah saw a look in Saphira's eyes that she hadn't seen before. She didn't know what it was.

Sarah blinked as the dragon didn't reply. "Saphira?" The small dragon looked back at her best friend. 'Nothing. Just thinking about the journey. Goodnight.' With that, she cuddled close to Sarah, and closed her eyes.

Sarah watched her, puzzled. Since when did Saphira have something she didn't want to tell her? She shook her head and decided not to make an issue of it. Even though they told each other most things, there was nothing wrong with keeping some personal things to themselves. But, Sarah knew that it would nag at her until she found out. She had to know what was bothering her.

_She'll tell me when she's ready_, Sarah thought. With that in mind, she got into a more comfortable position, and drifted off to sleep.

- - - - -

Sarah groggily opened her eyes the next morning. It took her mind a few seconds to realize that a sound had woken her up. She knitted her eyebrows together in confusion, blinking her eyes to clear her vision. Her mind processed the sound of laughter.

She could tell it was coming from below, so she leaned on her shoulder and looked down, stifling a yawn. Saphira woke up quickly next to her, and followed her trainer's eyes.

Sarah smiled as she saw the sight below. William was sitting on the floor, still in his pajamas, with Rascal in his lap, who watched the sight with his tail wagging in delight. Ignitus stood in front of them, doing little poses, trying to look tough. His face hardened, and he flexed his arms. With a small growl, he jumped forward, intending to land on his feet and spread his arms viciously. But he lost his balance, and tripped, falling onto his face.

Sarah's face scrunched up and she started laughing. Saphira rolled her eyes, and smiled brightly. William didn't hold back as he burst out laughing. After a minute, he finally looked up at Sarah, realizing that she was awake.

"What are you doing?" Sarah asked through chuckles. Ignitus got up and put a paw on his head, shaking it as a small blush came across his cheeks.

"I don't know," William said through giggles. "When I woke up this morning, he was doing funny poses, so I watched him."

Sarah forced her laughter to stop, then asked, "For how long?"

"Only a few minutes."

Sarah looked at Ignitus, who blushed and scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly.

"Were you practicing those battle stances, Ignitus?" The Charmander squeaked. Sarah face dropped with shock, and she smiled broadly; she understood what he said.

"Hey…" Sarah said, "I understood you!" Ignitus beamed and clapped his little paws together, then gave her a thumbs up.

_It's about time,_ Sarah thought, even though she knew she wasn't traveling with him long. _Hopefully it won't take long before I can understand everything he says._

She looked out the window, and saw golden rays of sunlight shown through the window.

_Another nice day._

She frowned and quickly started getting out of bed. "Let's go check on Glaedr." William's face dropped in an 'Oh' kind of way as he remembered the green dragon was out by himself. They quickly got ready, grabbed their stuff, and walked out the door.

After they made their way out of the Pokemon Center, they headed for the woods. Sarah's pace was quick. She held both of her pokemon in their usual positions, saving time. William tried to keep up, Rascal in his arms.

To her relief, the hill came into view, and Glaedr was standing on it.

They stopped at its bottom. Sarah set her pokemon down and called him. They watched as he leapt off the edge, and spiraled down to them, landing softly as his wings elevated his body.

Sarah ran up to him. "You ok?" Glaedr nodded with a smile. He bent his head low and nudged her cheek playfully with his own.

Sarah laughed and held his face in her hands. _I guess I worry too much. _

They parted as Glaedr lifted his head back to its full height. Sarah smiled at him. "Well, let's go back." The green dragon followed them as they headed back to the center.

They ate breakfast at a table, Glaedr joining them by curling up on the floor and eating his food quietly.

Sarah chuckled as she saw Ignitus throw a piece of his food up in the air and try to catch it in his mouth. He missed, and it landed on his nose and stuck there. He looked forward and screwed his eyes, trying to see it. He gave up and grabbed it off, putting it in his mouth. Sarah shook her head in amusement. _He has to play with his food, too._

"Hey Sarah," William said.

"Hmm?" She tore her eyes away from the goofy dragon and turned her attention to her brother.

"Are you gonna get the badge today?"

Sarah's stomach jolted. All of her pokemon stopped and looked at him quickly, then looked at her. She looked at them. Saphira sat waiting for the answer. Ignitus, who was trying to catch more food in his mouth, forgot about the bit he threw, and the forgotten food landed on his head. Glaedr sat with his solemn gaze on her, waiting patiently.

"Well…" she said, scratching the back of her head.

"Oh, come on," William encouraged. "That's what you're on your journey for."

Sarah looked at him with a playful smirk. "And you just want to watch a battle."

"Yeah," William beamed.

She rolled her eyes playfully, and looked at her pokemon. They seemed anxious to hear her answer.

Sarah smiled with confidence. "Yeah, we'll give it a try."

William whooped, and started blabbing about how excited he was. Sarah shook her head with amusement. Saphira nodded, looking proud. Glaedr smiled and returned his attention to his food. Ignitus squeaked happily, then felt the top of his head. He pulled the forgotten food off his head and looked at it blankly. He shrugged and put it in his mouth. Sarah tried her best not to burst out laughing.

Once they were done, they walked out of the pokemon center, and William asked anxiously, "So, when are you gonna try?"

Sarah glanced at Saphira, who sat on her shoulder, then got out her Pokenav. She pressed a few buttons, then said, "Well, it'll take about fifteen minutes to walk to the gym." She looked at her pokemon. "Would you guys be ready if we went now?" They all cheered, making her feel more confident. She frowned when she noticed that Ignitus's cheer was half-hearted. _He's probably just nervous,_ she figured.

She turned her attention to Glaedr, who was walking behind them. "The cut on your neck might get worse if you fight," she said. "I know you would fight well, but I don't want you to get hurt again. Do you want to skip this battle?"

Glaedr nodded, satisfied with her reasoning.

"Ok," she said, relieved. She looked at the Pokenav again before shutting it off and putting it in her pocket. She looked forward, her stomach filled with butterflies, and said, "Ok… let's go."

The closer they got, the more nervous Sarah got. She didn't hear much as her brother continued to ramble about how well she was going to do. Rascal barked and wagged his tail, happy to hear William talk. Sarah didn't notice Ignitus's nervous face, as he wasn't looking at her. Saphira watched Sarah from her shoulder, sometimes telling her they would do fine. Glaedr walked in the back, listening to everything.

They arrived in the expected time.

It was a big gym, gray walls that looked like they were carved from stone. The red roof stood two stories above them. A banner with the gym's name rested above the large front doors. A sign by the door caught their eyes. They made their way to it. It read:

Rustboro City Gym

Leader: Roxanne, Master of Rock Pokemon

Sarah gulped nervously. _Rock? It'll be hard for Saphira and Ignitus to fight those…_she thought, thinking about their mostly physical attacks, and Ignitus being a fire type. She shook her head, berating herself for not believing in them. _What am I saying? They can do it. They can win._

"Can we go in now!?" William asked anxiously, his feet shifting impatiently. Sarah nodded. "Yeah. Let's go." Then they went through the big doors.

The main room of the gym had a high ceiling. It was about fifty square feet, and was a bit dark. The walls were similar to the outside walls, but looked more constructed rather than formed by nature.

_I'm guessing all Pokemon gyms have high ceilings,_ Sarah thought, eyeing the dark ceiling and remembering how the Petalburg Gym had a high ceiling. She looked down and saw a counter at the end of the room. She headed toward it, everyone following.

A young woman stood at the counter, long red hair hanging down her shoulders, and glasses resting on her nose while she looked at some papers. She didn't look up when they approached.

Sarah waited a moment, then said, "Um… excuse me?" The woman jumped a bit then looked up.

"Oh, hello," she said brightly. "How can I help you?"

Sarah shifted. "We're… here for a gym battle."

"Wonderful," the woman said, putting the papers into a neat pile and laying them aside. Adjusting the glasses on her face, she said, "You will be the first challenge of the day." She came from behind the counter and headed for a door on the right. "This way."

Sarah glanced at Saphira, then they went through the door with the woman.

When they entered the room, their jaws dropped. They thought the entrance room's ceiling was high: this one was even higher. The walls were gray and very smooth. The opposite wall was two hundred feet away, a large dirt battlefield in the middle.

"Are you ready?" the woman asked, pulling Sarah out of her stupor.

Sarah looked at her pokemon. Saphira looked ready, but Ignitus looked a little nervous. She figured it wasn't a big deal, since he was always nervous about battling.

_Well, here we go,_ Sarah thought, gulping nervously.

"Yeah, we're ready."

The woman nodded, then walked past them and picked up a phone that hung on the wall. She said something inaudible, then hung up.

Seconds later, bright lights shown from the ceiling, temporarily blinding them. They regained their vision in time to see a door open on the opposite wall, and a figure step out of it. It made it's way to the middle of the battlefield.

"This way," the woman from the counter said, heading towards the figure. They followed her, Sarah getting more and more nervous.

When the person was in view, they saw that it was a young woman with long brown hair, and a pleasant smile. She wore a one-piece red outfit with no sleeves, and ended in a skirt.

"Hello," she said when they stopped in front of her. Her voice was very polite. Her eyes sparkled as she smiled pleasantly. "Which one of you is here for a battle?"

Sarah hesitated, then said, "I am."

"What's your name?"

"Sarah Ryder, from Littleroot Town."

The gym leader nodded, and said, "I am Roxanne, leader of this gym. Are you ready to battle?"

Sarah looked at Saphira. The dragon looked back and nodded triumphantly.

Sarah returned her attention to Roxanne. "We're ready."

Roxanne nodded, said something to the girl from the counter, then turned around and went to the other end of the battlefield. Sarah looked puzzled as to why they were whispering, then turned around and went to the other end, everyone following. William was mumbling excitedly to himself about the battle, Rascal squirming in his arms with excitement. The woman from the counter made her way to the side of the field to be the judge.

Sarah took her place in the challenger's circle, then put Saphira down. William stood a little to the side behind her, watching with a big grin, his feet shifting anxiously. Glaedr stood behind him, watching with a solemn expression. Ignitus stood close to Sarah, looking around nervously.

The judge put her hands in the air and raised her voice. "Each trainer will use two pokemon each, substitutions allowed. Choose your pokemon!" _I guess Roxanne was telling her how many pokemon we were going to use,_ Sarah thought.

Sarah watched as Roxanne pulled a pokeball out of a small pocket, throw it into the field, and yell, "Go, Rocky!" As the pokeball flew back into her hand, a Geodude materialized in front of them, strong muscular arms protruding out of its rock like body. It punched its fist's together, then let out a challenging cry.

Sarah looked at her two pokemon. She thought about their attacks. Neither of them had a type advantage. She knew Glaedr did, but she wasn't going to make him battle.

_First pokemon, first badge_, Sarah thought.

She looked back into the field, new confidence building, then shouted with a raised fist, "Go, Saphira!"

Saphira grunted, then made her way out into the field, glaring at her opponent. There were a few seconds of silence, then the judge shouted, "Let the battle begin!"

Roxanne wasted no time. "Rocky, rock throw!" Her tone was no longer pleasant; it was full of confidence, and a bit of aggression. The rock pokemon reached to the floor and lifted rocks almost as big as its body, hurling them one by one with great speed. Saphira did small rolls and jumps, dodging the rocks as they came at her.

Sarah thought frantically. _Bagons have armored heads hard enough to crush rocks. _With that in mind, she shouted, "Saphira, headbutt!" Saphira lowered her head, and ran at the Geodude. Seeing the advance, he moved to the side at the last second, then swung his fist, intending to knock Saphira away. She caught the motion out of the corner of her eye, and jumped into the air just in time, then slammed her armored head into the Geodude's side, sending him flying backwards.

The rock pokemon gritted its teeth, then glared at Saphira. He beat his fists together briefly, then flew at her with a tackle.

"Dragonbreath!" Sarah shouted. Saphira opened her mouth and released the electric blue stream, hitting her opponent in the face.

"Hold it for as long as you can!" Sarah said. Saphira did as she was told. The attack was too strong, and held the Geodude in place.

After a few dragged seconds, Saphira closed her mouth and breathed heavily. Sarah watched as the Geodude hovered, motionless, then fell to the floor with a little thud.

"Rocky is unable to battle!" The judge shouted, throwing her hands up. "The winner is Saphira!"

"Great job, Saphira!" Sarah shouted. Saphira turned around and gave her a big smile.

_That was too easy,_ Sarah thought, starting to feel a little more confident.

Roxanne recalled her pokemon to his pokeball, and, in her pleasant voice, told him he did a good job. "Don't get too comfortable," she called to Sarah. "I'm just warming up." She put the pokeball away, and pulled out a second one.

"Go, Boulderdash!" she shouted, throwing the pokeball into the field. A Nosepass appeared, it's lite blue body towering a foot above Saphira. A beak-like nose rested bellow closed eyes.

Roxanne smiled pleasantly, but in a mock way. Her voice returned to its earlier confidence. "Rock tomb!" The Nosepass shifted slightly as rocks began to appear out of the ground and gather around him. It was if he was using his mind. They levitated, then flew at Saphira with great speed.

Saphira was too close to them to dodge, so she lowered her armored head like a shield. The rocks swiftly hit her one by one, her feet digging into the ground as she was pushed backwards.

When the rocks stopped, Saphira lifted her head, her eyes rolling dizzily. She tried to regain her balance as her opponent lifted more rocks and hurled them.

Sarah's eyes became wide, and she shouted, "Dragonbreath!"

Saphira shook her head to clear it, then saw the rocks coming at her with no time to dodge. She opened her mouth and released the attack on the rocks as they came within inches of her face. The force made the rocks explode, sending gravel everywhere. The enemy looked around frantically as the tiny rocks fell.

"Headbutt!" Sarah wanted to take advantage of the enemy's temporary confusion. Saphira ran at her dumbfounded opponent, and struck his stomach with her armored head. He skidded backwards, slightly wincing at the attack.

"Very impressive!" Roxanne shouted, her pleasant smile replaced with a smirk, "But not compared to this!" She lifted a fist. "Boulderdash, Double-Edge!" The rock pokemon got over his shock, then ran at a speed unexpected for his size. He hit Saphira before she knew what was happening. The blow was critical, and sent Saphira onto her back, sliding a few feet away. She lay still, unmoving.

"Saphira is unable to battle! Boulderdash is the winner!" the judge shouted.

"Saphira!" Sarah exclaimed, running to her injured baby dragon. She hated seeing the dragon she raised form an egg get hurt.

She knelt down and carefully picked her up. "You ok?" Saphira cracked her eyes open and nodded.

Sarah hugged her lovingly. "You did a really good job. You can rest now." She got up and walked back to her spot, carefully setting Saphira down next to her. The baby dragon pushed herself onto her feet. She looked into the battlefield and watched the enemy that defeated her with slight anger.

Sarah looked at the Gym Leader across the stadium, who stood patiently waiting for Sarah to choose her next pokemon.

She looked down at Ignitus. He stood close to her, slightly shaking.

Sarah frowned, and kneeled down next to the orange dragon. "Ignitus?" she said gently. "You ok, buddy?" He looked up at her, his legs slightly shaking.

Sarah looked at him sympathetically. _I guess he's more scared than I thought. _She felt guilty for thinking it was nothing when she saw how nervous he was. "I know you're scared, but you're my last pokemon…" she said in a calm voice. "If you don't fight, we'll lose…"

Ignitus looked away and said something to her. Sarah scrunched up her face as she tried hard to understand what he said. All she could make out was 'not strong' and 'scared.'

Sarah put a reassuring hand on his little shoulder. "You are strong, buddy. And there's no reason to be scared." She glanced away as she thought. "Think about what you did to scare away that Team Aqua guy. You're really brave." The little dragon looked up at her, and his eyes began to show confidence as the realization of what he did came over him.

Sarah smiled. "You'll do fine."

Ignitus clenched his fists and tried to show a battle face. Sarah chuckled, and stood back up.

Preparing for the rest of the battle, Sarah pointed at the field and shouted, "Go, Ignitus!"

Ignitus ran to his place in the field and glared at his opponent.

"A fire type?" Roxanne said, smirking. "This shouldn't take long." Sarah was taken aback that the Gym Leader could seem so pleasant and be such a tough opponent.

_Well, she is a Gym Leader,_ Sarah reminded herself.

Roxanne pointed at the opposing pokemon and shouted, "Rock Tomb!"

Her rock pokemon lifted boulders similar to the way he had before, and hurled them at Ignitus.

"Ignitus! Metal Claw!" Sarah shouted. She knew his fire wouldn't be very effective against the rock type, but the Steel type move should be super effective.

The pokemon swiped the rocks with lightning speed, shattering them into pieces, accompanied by screeches from each one.

"Good job, Ignitus!" Sarah shouted, beaming. Ignitus glanced at her quickly with a smile, and returned his attention to the battle.

"Boulderdash, Double-Edge!" Roxanne shouted. The blue rock pokemon charged at Ignitus at full speed.

Ignitus easily leapt over the pokemon, landing gently on the other side. He whirled around quickly, slashing with another Metal Claw across Bouderdash's back.

The Nosepass fell onto his beak-like face with a great thud. Although the blow was strong, he recovered quickly, and turned around to face his enemy. He quickly levitated a single rock and hurled it. The speed was too fast for Ignitus, and the rock knocked him backwards as it struck his stomach. The orange dragon stood up slowly, wincing at the effort.

"Now, to finish it!" Roxanne shouted. "Thunderbolt!"

Sarah eyes became wide. _Thunderbolt!?_ She didn't know a Nosepass could learn an electric move.

The attack was built up quickly, the pokemon's body glowing a bright yellow. Sarah thought frantically. She knew that fire wasn't very effective against rocks, but maybe Ignitus's fire would be strong enough for it. And, she needed an attack that could either stop the oncoming Thunderbolt, or reach the enemy before it struck.

Mind finally made up, Sarah shouted, "Flamethrower!"

Ignitus took a deep breath; both attacks flew from their owners and went towards their enemies. They passed each other and headed for their targets.

Sarah's heart jumped as she saw both attacks hit their marks. Both pokemon cried out, the attacks doing a lot of damage.

When the attacks were over, Sarah looked at both pokemon with worry and anticipation. They both stood still.

Finally, both pokemon wavered and began to fall.

Ignitus just managed to regain his balance before he fell, keeping himself on his feet.

Boulderdash didn't seem to have the strength, and hit the ground with a great thud.

"Boulderdash is unable to battle! The winner is Ignitus, and the victory goes to Sarah Ryder from Littleroot Town!"

Sarah stood still with her eyes wide, her heart pounding in her ears. Her brother sounded distant as he jumped up and down, yelling with excitement, Rascal howling in his arms.

_We won…!_ Sarah thought, a grin spreading across her lips.

"Yes!" Sarah shouted, kneeling down and hugging Saphira. She loosened her grip as the young dragon winced.

"Sorry," Sarah smiled sheepishly. Saphira smiled.

Sarah looked out to the field and saw Ignitus standing in the same spot, but was now looking at her. She got up with a grin and walked out to him.

She knelt down by the small dragon and picked him up. "You did awesome, buddy. You just believed in yourself, and we won." She beamed and hugged him carefully. He squeaked, and hugged back weakly.

Sarah looked up as she heard footsteps coming toward her. Roxanne stood in front of her, smiling pleasantly. She had already called Boulderdash into his pokeball.

"Congratulations," she said as Sarah stood up, cuddling Ignitus gently. "You've earned this Stone Badge." She reached into a small pocket, and pulled out a gray badge. It was rectangular, the two ends in sharp points.

Sarah slowly and carefully took the badge. She held it up into the light up. She smiled as it shined.

"Awesome…" William said from beside her. Sarah jumped, completely unaware that her brother was standing next to her. She blinked and eyed him as he gazed at the badge.

After calming her sudden shock, Sarah looked at Roxanne. "Thanks."

"Of course," the Gym Leader smiled. "You earned it." She gently patted Ignitus on the head. He squeaked in delight as she said, "And you have much care for your pokemon. You handled this Charmander's fear well, and you succeeded."

Sarah blinked. She was a little surprised that she could hear her when she was talking to Ignitus.

She smiled. "Thanks."

Roxanne smiled. "You will do well on your journey." She reached out a hand to shake. Sarah accepted, smiling pleasantly at the Gym Leader's politemood. Goodbye." She turned around and headed back to the other side of the gym.

Sarah rubbed Ignitus's head, then turned to her brother. "Let's go."

William nodded with a big grin, then followed her as she made her way back to the challenger's circle.

Sarah picked up Saphira, and balanced her two small pokemon in each arm. She gave Glaedr a triumphant smile. He grinned with pride.

The judge led them out the door and took her place back behind the counter as they headed for the Gym's front doors.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I hope it was good. And I hope you like Sarah's last name. Ryder-Rider, as in, Saphira and Eragon rider? Get it? Ha Ha… Anyway, if the title of the chapter didn't make sense, then this is what it means. The battle for the badge part is obvious, but the Battles Within is Glaedr's anger with Team Aqua, and Saphira's problem that she won't tell Sarah. You have no idea how important reviews are to me, so I would greatly appreciate it if you leave one. Thanks.


	9. An Unexpected Reward, and Fear

"Lemme see it!" William pleaded as he walked down the street with his sister.

Sarah smiled in amusement and handed the new Stone Badge to him. He took it carefully and stared at it, his mouth half hanging open. "It's so cool…" Rascal sniffed it and barked in agreement.

"Yeah," Sarah said, slightly shifting the two pokemon in her arms. Saphira decided to rest in Sarah's arms instead of standing on her shoulder, so Sarah held both of the tired pokemon in her arms. In spite of their injuries, the two pokemon smiled as they closed their eyes restfully. Glaedr walked in the back, smiling at his trainer.

"I hope the other badges are this cool," William said, trying to give it back to her.

"They will be," Sarah said. She shook her head a bit when he offered it. "Hang on to it. I have to carry these guys." William beamed, and stared at it as they made their way to the Pokemon Center.

They finally entered the main room of the center. It was busy as usual, so it took a minute to get to the counter. Nurse Joy greeted them, and Sarah handed her pokemon over to be healed. Ignitus was a little scared at first, and clung to Sarah. She explained that she'd be right there waiting for him, so he loosened his grip on her shirt and nodded.

The siblings seated themselves close to the counter while they waited. Sarah tapped her finger on the table, and stared off into space while she thought. She couldn't believe that she already got her first badge; and on the first try. Then her brother's suggestion about being a Dragon Master came into her head.

_Dragon Master…_ The words gave her a warm feeling in her chest. _Maybe I can pull it off…_

Remembering that she got a badge, Sarah leaned over her backpack and opened it. She moved a couple things around, then pulled out a small, rectangular case. It was a deep blue with a gold latch on the front.

She opened it and looked inside. The deep blue velvet had eight indents in it. There were two rows, four on the top and four on the bottom.

She set it on the table, then said, "Hey William, can I see my badge?" William gave it to her without a second thought. She accepted it, then looked at it in the light. _I'm well on my way,_ she thought, then put it in the first indent on the top to the left. It fit like a puzzle piece.

Sarah beamed with pride at her first badge. The idea of being a Dragon Master came on stronger. Finally, she closed it and put it back in her backpack.

Just then, Sarah turned her head as she heard the Pokemon Hospital's door open. Nurse Joy came out with her pokemon.

Sarah got out of her seat quickly and made her way to the counter. She accepted them as they were offered, and hugged them tightly.

"They're as good as new," Nurse Joy smiled.

"Thanks." She laughed as both pokemon licked her face.

"Of course."

Sarah made her way back to the table that her brother was waiting at. She set each of her pokemon in a chair, and took her place back in her own.

She chuckled as Ignitus stared at his paw and moved his fingers experimentally, almost like he wanted to make sure they still worked. She looked at Saphira. Her smile faded as she saw a strange look on the Bagon's face. It was the same look that she saw the night before.

_What is going on?_ She thought, starting to get worried. She didn't like that something was bothering her, and she wouldn't tell her what it was. She tried to look the young dragon in the eye, but they were looking past her.

Puzzled, she silently turned her head and followed her eyes. She found them looking at Glaedr. Her eyes widened when she saw that his eyes were looking at Saphira's, and he smiled.

Sarah silently looked back and forth between the two pokemon in confusion. Something clicked in her brain, and she froze. A smirk spread across her lips.

_I'm gonna have a talk with Saphira later,_ she thought, slyly grinning to herself.

"Hey Sarah," William said, making Sarah jerk her head in his direction. "What are we gonna do now?"

"Oh, um…" she scratched the back of her head, glancing at Saphira and trying to hide her grin, "I don't know. Maybe we can just go outside for starters." She looked around at the bustling people. "It's crowded in here."

William nodded and got out of his chair. Sarah started getting out of hers, then eyed the two pokemon one more time. They weren't looking at each other anymore, but she smiled.

After picking up her two small pokemon so they could get through the crowd without getting lost, Sarah made her way to the door, William following with Rascal in his arms.

They went outside, the sun greeting them with bright rays. They set their pokemon down and looked at the light blue sky.

_Well, let's see…_ Sarah thought. She tried to forget about what happened in the Pokemon Center for now, and concentrate on the journey. _The next Badge is in Dewford Town…_ She paused and pulled her Pokenav out of her pocket. She turned it on, and pulled up the map. She found Dewford Town, and looked for a route. She was surprised to see that almost the whole route was made of water.

_Shoot…_ _Wait, there should be a boat company there._ She thought back; she knew they'd have to go back through Petalburg Woods, and back to the beach. She remembered seeing a small cottage, and a medium sized ship.

_That's probably the company that takes people across the sea_, she thought. She was starting to get excited. The thought of crossing the sea on a small ship sounded fun. She turned her head to look at her brother. He was talking to Rascal, the small pokemon looking back at him and wagging his tail.

_He's gonna freak out when I tell him._ She knew how much he loved water. The ocean fascinated him, and she knew he would love to cross it in a ship.

_There's no rush,_ she thought, shutting the Pokenav off and putting it back in her pocket. She wanted to enjoy this journey as much as possible, and have a great adventure.

She looked to her left as she heard a car approaching. She blinked in surprise as a long, black limo pulled up a few feet away from them. She glanced at her brother, who looked at her, then looked back at the limo. The back door opened, and Sarah was surprised to see Sam, the Devon Worker get out.

"Hello!" he said heartily as he approached them.

"Hi, Sam," Sarah said. She was glad to see him, but surprised. "How are you?"

"Oh, just fine thank you!" Sarah almost jumped back as he grasped one of her hands with both of his and shook it vigorously. William's eyebrows lifted in confusion, and Ignitus cocked his head. Saphira smirked, and Glaedr looked confused. A man in a black suit and dark sunglasses came out of the driver's seat, and positioned himself by the door closest to them.

"I've been looking everywhere for you!" Sam said, finally letting go of her hand. Sarah pulled it back and rubbed it to get the circulation back. When they met him, he seemed like a nice person, but she didn't think he'd have so much energy.

Before Sarah could question him, he looked past her and smiled brightly. Sarah followed his gaze, and saw Glaedr. He still looked confused.

"What a beautiful pokemon!" Sam said. "You didn't have him when we met!"

"No…" Sarah said. She glanced at her brother, who shrugged a bit, then returned her attention to Sam. "I got him later that day."

Sam beamed. "That's wonderful."

Sarah let her hands fall to her sides, finally able to feel her hand again, then eyed him with confusion. "Um, why were you looking for us?"

Sam's face looked like someone had shocked him. "Oh! Yes, I was looking for you because I wanted to thank you for helping me in the forest!"

Sarah's eyebrows met. "But you already did."

Sam shook his head. "That was not a proper thank you. I told the Devon Company President what you did, and he would like to meet you."

Sarah's eyes became wide and her jaw slightly dropped. _The President of the Devon Company wants to meet me?_

"He would like you to join him for lunch at the Devon Company building."

Sarah turned her wide eyes to her brother. He stood there with facial expressions similar to hers. She looked at Saphira, who shrugged and smiled.

Sarah returned her attention to Sam. "Um… ok."

Sam beamed. "Great! Now, come on!"

Sarah blinked. "Now?"

"Yes, of course! The sooner the better!" With that, he turned around and headed back to the limo. The man in the black suit opened the door. Sam stood on the other side of it.

Sarah eyed William, who just stared back with a confused look. She looked at Saphira, who nodded. Glaedr nodded too. He didn't look confused anymore; he probably figured out that Sam was the guy they helped in the forest, according to the story they told him. Ignitus just cocked his head.

Sarah just shrugged, and made her way to the car. Everyone followed.

Sarah waited for her brother and let him get in first. She then picked up her two small pokemon and looked at Glaedr. "You can just fly behind the car if you want." Glaedr nodded, and with a rush of his wings, quickly ascended into the air. Sarah got into the limo and sat next to William. Sam got in, and sat in a seat opposite them.

"He will be honored to meet you," Sam said as they heard the driver get into the car and start it.

Sarah glanced at her brother before saying, "But we just stopped a thief, that's all." She still didn't see what the big deal was; she was willing to help anyone if she could.

Sam shook his head. "Oh no, you saved my life. Team Aqua is very dangerous, and that man might've gotten violent if it wasn't for you." Sarah looked at her brother again with a shocked look. He seemed just as shocked.

_I don't think it was that big of a deal,_ Sarah thought. But then she remembered how Team Aqua tried to kill Glaedr. She began to boil with anger, then tried to calm herself down. _Maybe it was a big deal._

She looked down at her pokemon. She caught Saphira looking out the back window, then looking forward again. Sarah grinned to herself, thinking that she was probably checking for Glaedr.

Ignitus seemed to be staring out the window. His eyes were fixed on it, then he moved his head to the left. He squeaked, then moved it to the right. Sarah watched in confusion. He then put his paw on it, then pulled it back quickly.

Sarah's eyebrows met, then she looked out the window. She didn't see anything except for buildings and an occasional person quickly disappear from sight as the limo drove by.

She looked back at him, then out the window right in front of him. She squinted her eyes as he touched it again. When she realized what he was looking at, she had to try her best not to burst out laughing. Ignitus cocked his head at his own reflection.

"Ignitus," Sarah said, trying her best not to let her voice crack with laughter. Ignitus pointed at the window, then looked back at it and cocked his head again. Sarah managed to explain to him with a straight face that it was his reflection. When she was done, she heard William crack up. Ignitus looked back at the window, then put his paw on the back of his head and blushed. He shook his head, then plopped down onto Sarah's lap. Sarah shook her head in amusement, and rustled the top of his head, making him squeak in delight. Saphira playfully rolled her eyes and Sam just smiled.

Just then, the limo turned into the driveway of a huge building. It made it's way to the front, then the car turned off. They heard the driver's door shut, and his footsteps make their way to their door.

When it opened, Sam got out first, and waited for them. Sarah got out, still holding her pokemon, and looked at the building with her mouth open.

It was a brown brick building, about five stories high. It reminded Sarah of the Pokemon Center, but this wasn't in the shape of a dome.

William got out, holding Rascal, and stood next to her. His mouth was hanging open more than hers was.

"This way," Sam said, heading toward the building. They both closed their mouths. Sarah heard a rush of wind behind her and turned around. Glaedr landed gently next to her and gave her a small smile. She smiled back and motioned for him to follow as she made her way to the door.

When they walked inside, they entered a large room full of workers running back and forth and entering elevators. A reception desk was on the other wall a few yards away.

"This way," Sam said, leading the way through the people. Everyone followed him, some of the people stopping to look at Glaedr in awe. Sarah didn't think much of it. Because of his size, she'd probably have to get used to it.

They got into a large, and luckily empty, elevator that was big enough for Glaedr. Sam pressed a button, and they felt themselves being pulled up as the elevator ascended. It didn't take long for it to stop, and a small chime sound before the doors opened.

The room that lay before them had a large table with twelve places. The walls were painted brown, and a chandelier hung from the ceiling. There was a rug under the table over a patterned carpet. At the end of the table sat a man in a gray suit. He was somewhat thin, and had short brown hair. He seemed to be in his late twenties with a welcoming grin on his face.

They all got out of the elevator and looked around the room as the elevator chimed, and the doors shut. Sam made his way to the man.

"Mr. Stone, sir, I found the children and pokemon that helped me," he said in a cheery voice.

"Wonderful," Mr. Stone said. His voice was gentle, his blue eyes sparkling. He looked in their direction and smiled. "Welcome to The Devon Company building. I am Mr. Stone, President of the Devon Company. Come and sit."

Sarah glanced at her brother, then looked back at Mr. Stone. _This is just too weird,_ Sarah thought. She never thought that someone as important as the President of the Devon Company would ever want to meet her.

She jumped forward a bit as she felt something briefly nudge her back. She turned around to see Glaedr with his head down at her eye level. He grinned and motioned toward Mr. Stone.

She nodded, and headed in that direction, William and Glaedr following.

Sarah placed Saphira two chairs down from Mr. Stone on the left, then set Ignitus in the one next to her, then seated herself next to him. William sat right next to her, Rascal still in his arms, while Glaedr placed himself by William.

"Well, you must be Sarah and William," Mr. Stone said in a cheery voice. "I apologize, but I do not know your pokemon's names."

"Oh." Sarah pointed at Saphira and made her way down the table as she listed the names. "This is Saphira, Ignitus, Rascal, and Glaedr."

Mr. Stone nodded. "I hope this visit isn't an inconvenience for you."

"Oh, of course not," Sarah said truthfully, trying to sound polite. Mr. Stone smiled. "Well, Sam tells me that you helped him out when he was ambushed by a member of Team Aqua."

"Yes," Sarah said. She squirmed in her seat, starting to feel self-conscious. "But it wasn't a big deal," she added quickly. "We just wanted to help."

Mr. Stone chuckled. "Standing up to Team Aqua is a big deal. And I wanted to show you how much I appreciate you watching out for one of my workers." He made a small nod to Sam, who headed to a door on the right. After knocking on it briefly, a few men in uniforms came out with platters on hand. They set them onto the table, and walked away with a nod.

"I hope you will enjoy this meal as a token of my gratitude," Mr. Stone said.

Sarah looked around at the group, then back at Mr. Stone. "Thank you." He smiled and gestured for them to start. Sarah scratched the back of her head, still feeling self-conscious for having so much attention on her, and helped her brother and the pokemon get some food on their plates.

After about five minutes, everyone was enjoying the food. Sarah checked on Ignitus to make sure he wasn't playing with his food again. Luckily, he seemed too interested in eating it to play with it.

"So," Mr. Stone finally said, " I understand that your Bagon and Charmander battled this Team Aqua member."

"Yeah," Sarah said.

He smiled. "They are very brave pokemon." Saphira grinned, and Ignitus blushed with a squeak.

Sarah thought back to the incident, and became curious. She hesitated, then said, "He wanted a pokeball that Sam had. He said it was the first of its kind."

"Yes," Mr. Stone nodded. "It is a prototype Master Ball. It needed testing, and Sam offered to try it. We also needed a Shroomish for a Professor's research, so he tried to catch one."

"…What's a Master Ball?"

"It is a pokeball that guarantees the capture of any pokemon, no matter how strong." He nodded as he saw realization on Sarah's face. "Now you see why you did more than just protect my assistant. If Team Aqua got a hold of something like that, who knows what could happen."

Sarah nodded in agreement. Images of legendary pokemon started coming into her head; The Water Master, Kyogre, The Master of Volcanoes, Groudon, The king of the Sea, Lugia, and The King of Dragons… Rayquaza. _If those pokemon are real, we'd be in trouble if they caught one…_She wasn't sure if they were real, but she knew that if they were, they should be left free.

Sarah shook her head to get rid of the thought, then asked, "Are you trying to find the thief?"

Mr. Stone paused for a minute. "No, he is undoubtedly back with his team, and it would be hard to find him. There are many other crimes that Team Aqua has committed, and we need to find all of them, not just one."

Sarah nodded. "I know." She briefly turned her gaze to Glaedr, thinking of how the one that hurt him should be punished, too. He looked back with a hint of sadness.

For the next half hour, the conversation drifted into more cheery subjects. Mr. Stone asked Sarah about her pokemon training, and she mentioned how she got her first badge. Mr. Stone told them a bit about the Devon Company, like what he had to do, and some small projects they had been working on.

Before long, the meal and conversation were finished. They all thanked him for his generosity, and he just said that he was repaying a favor.

Mr. Stone said that he had an interview coming up with the newspaper, and decided to see them off, so everyone got back into the elevator, and made their way to the first floor.

They made their way out the front doors, the sun rising into early afternoon.

Just when they were about to say goodbye, Sarah looked down the steps as she heard a lot of commotion. A group of people came rushing to them with the flashing lights of cameras, and a few video cameras.

Sarah figured it was Mr. Stone's appointment, and they should probably leave.

Just before they could, the people closed them in and started asking questions. _Shoot,_ Sarah thought, starting to back away. _How are we supposed to get out of here?_

"One at a time!" Mr. Stone called to the shouting reporters. A silence followed, with the occasional snap of a camera.

One reporter gestured at Sarah's group. "Mr. Stone, who is your company?"

Mr. Stone smiled. "These two children and their pokemon helped my assistant out of a run-in with Team Aqua."

Sarah's heart jumped into her throat, and she froze as the reporters started bombarding them all with questions. _He's ok with just telling them that?_ She thought. She was almost blinded by the lights from the cameras. William got closer to her, not wanting to get lost in the crowd, while the small pokemon covered their eyes.

Just when things seemed like they were getting out of hand, a small roar was heard behind them. Everything stopped, and Sarah, no longer being blinded by flashing lights, followed their terrified faces and looked behind her. Glaedr stood staring at the reporters with his lip curled.

As the people started to back away, Sarah said quickly, "No, it's ok! You just scared him, that's all. He was trying to protect us. He's not dangerous."

The people stood still, then came closer and started silently asking questions. Sarah sighed in relief and looked at Glaedr. He smirked. She couldn't help but smile. _I guess that's one way to take care of annoying News Reporters._

One of the reporters spoke up. "What kind of run in?"

"Why don't you ask them?" Mr. Stone said with a smile. Sarah's eyes became wide and she turned back to the reporters. They all started asking questions very loudly, earning them a small warning growl from Glaedr. They immediately calmed down.

Just then, a man with a video camera accompanied by another young man with a microphone came through the crowd and stood in front of Sarah.

"Hello, I am Michael Montey with Channel 7 News," the reporter said, his voice almost sounding like a recording. "What is your name?" He put the microphone in front of Sarah's face.

"Uh…" Sarah said lamely, eyeing the camera that was focused on her. She looked at Saphira and Glaedr, who nodded. She looked at William. He just stood there, staring at the cameraman with a grin spreading across his lips. Ignitus cocked his head and curiously sniffed the microphone.

Sarah gulped as her stomach felt sick and her heart pounded in her ears. She didn't feel comfortable with this; she had always gotten stage fright easily. And it wasn't helping that so many eyes were on her.

After a moment of silence, she finally choked out, "Sarah Ryder."

The reporter nodded, and turned to William. His movements were very swift. "And what is your name?" he asked, putting the microphone in front of his face. William beamed and said, "William Ryder!" Sarah eyed her brother. _How can he be so casual?_

The reporter nodded again and swiftly turned back to Sarah, making her jump.

"And what exactly happened with you and Team Aqua?" Sarah gulped again, and briefly glanced at all the people, all eyes on her.

After letting out a small sigh, she explained everything that happened in the forest. The reporter would occasionally nod, and a few camera flashes went off during the story.

"Marvelous!" Michael said with a grin. "And how do you feel?"

Sarah still couldn't get over her stage fright. Even though she was able to tell the story calmly, she was freaking out, sweat dripping down her face.

At the question, she blinked stupidly. "About what?" Some of the people laughed. The News reporter chuckled and said, "About helping a worker of the Devon Company and becoming a hero."

"Whoa," Sarah said, shaking her head, "It wasn't that big of a deal." She tried to make sure they understood. "I'm just glad I could help."

"Well, I'm sure that the company is very grateful." He finally turned away from her and started talking into the camera. Sarah sighed heavily and shook her head. Ignitus squeaked questioningly at his trainer, seeing the look on her face, and Saphira laughed.

"Shut up," Sarah said to her Bagon, somewhat angrily and somewhat playfully.

After a minute, the reporter finally started walking away, with the cameraman following him. Just when Sarah thought it was over, another reporter approached them and said, "Ok, all of you line up for a picture."

Sarah looked at him in disbelief. "For what?"

"For the paper, of course!"

Sarah's heart jumped into her throat. _You've gotta be kidding. All we did was help some guy in the woods. _She wasn't mad that so many people were grateful for what they did; she just wanted it to stop so she could stop feeling like she was going to throw up.

She just stood there as William, Mr. Stone, Sam, and Glaedr all positioned themselves next to her. "Ok, smile!" The cameraman said. Everyone beamed, and Sarah managed a lame smile as the flash went off. He immediately turned to another newspaper reporter and said, "Let's go! This goes in the paper tomorrow!"

_Tomorrow!?_ Sarah thought. She shook her head. _In the newspaper and on the news… great…_

The two reporters left, and the rest approached Mr. Stone for the interview.

"I'm sorry," Mr. Stone said to Sarah. She turned to him, and his face seemed like he really meant it. "I should've asked if you were comfortable with this."

Sarah shook her head. "No, it's fine. Thanks for inviting us to lunch. We have to go."

"Of course." Mr. Stone nodded, and turned his attention to the reporters.

"Come on," Sarah said to the others. They followed her as she walked down the steps. She wanted to avoid eye contact with the reporters, so she kept her gaze on the ground.

She walked quickly down the street, still holding her small pokemon, who gave her questioning looks, with William and Glaedr following.

"That was SO COOL!" William said, doing a small jump. "Wasn't that cool Sarah!?"

"I guess," Sarah said, not looking at him. His beaming face turned into a frown, and he looked at her with confusion. "What's the matter?"

Sarah finally looked at him. She felt better, but some of her nervousness still remained in her chest.

She shrugged. "That was just all unexpected. And you know how much I can get stage fright."

William made a face like he was wincing. "Oh, yeah… Sorry."

"You don't have any reason to be sorry."

William looked ahead of himself, and he used his free hand to scratch the back of his head. He looked back at her and beamed. "But you have to admit, even with your stage fright, that was awesome, wasn't it?"

Sarah thought about it, then managed a real smile. "Yeah, it was." She looked at the two pokemon in her arms. They both smiled at her. She looked back at Glaedr, and he just beamed.

They continued walking down the street. Sarah checked her Pokenav to see how to get back to the Pokemon Center. They didn't bother seeing if they could get a ride back. Sarah just wanted to get out of there.

Because they traveled in a car, it was a longer route than they thought. They didn't mind, and just enjoyed the walk.

When they were about half way there, Sarah's mind clicked some new information, and she stopped in her tracks. William and Glaedr stopped and looked at her. "What?" William asked.

Sarah sighed and shook her head in frustration. "We're going to be in the newspaper AND on the news. Mom's gonna find out that we ran into a Team Aqua member."

William's eyes widened. He looked away, obviously thinking the same thing she was thinking.

_I won't be surprised if she makes us come home…_ Sarah thought bitterly. Her heart started beating quickly.

William looked at her and tried to hide his worry. "You think we should call her and explain?"

Sarah looked at the pokemon in her arms. Saphira looked sad, and Ignitus almost had a pleading look on his face. They didn't want the journey to end.

Sarah shook her head. "She'll call us. She knows we're in Rustboro, so she'll probably call as soon as she sees the news." She shook her head again and continued walking. William frowned, and followed her.

Now, with the thought that her journey might end, Sarah didn't feel like doing anything. Instead of going to the Pokemon Center, she turned toward the woods. William asked where they were going, and he thought it was fine when she told him they were going to the hill.

It didn't take long for the familiar hill to come into sight. They all climbed it, and caught their breath as they set their pokemon down.

Because of their long walk, the day was almost over. They could see on the horizon that the sky would start changing colors into sunset very soon.

Sarah sat down with her legs crossed, and William sat down next to her, Rascal jumping into his lap. Glaedr curled up behind them protectively. Saphira and Ignitus stood next to Sarah, watching her with concerned looks.

Sarah laid her head back and rested it on Glaedr's side. She watched the sky as white clouds slowly moved across it.

Sarah turned her head to look at her small pokemon. They still stared at her, looking worried.

"Come on guys, it's not a big deal," she said. "We'll worry about it tomorrow."

The two small pokemon looked at each other. Ignitus scratched the back of his head briefly, then shrugged.

He grinned, and tapped Saphira's arm, then ran in the opposite direction. Saphira playfully rolled her eyes, and Sarah couldn't help but laugh. Ignitus never ceased to be humorous and have fun, even when things looked bad. The Bagon took chase after the Charmander as he squeaked in delight.

Luckily, the pokemons' game of tag lightened everyone's mood. They watched with interest as the small orange dragon ran around with a Bagon hot on his tail. When he realized that she was about to catch him, he squeaked in terror, and jumped into Sarah's arms. They all laughed.

Saphira just stood there and waited, almost looking impatient. Rascal seized the moment by jumping off William's lap, touching Saphira's arm, and running away. This caused another round of laughs as Ignitus jumped off Sarah's lap and joined them.

They watched the small pokemon for a while as the sun began to set. The pokemon finally began to get tired, and plopped down by the others. Sarah allowed them to rest for a few minutes, then said it was time to get back.

The siblings picked up their tired pokemon and made their way down the hill. It was almost dark when they got to the Pokemon Center.

Because they missed dinner, they were all hungry, and got a snack at the food counter. They enjoyed it at a table in the center's almost empty room.

When they were done, it was completely dark. Glaedr growled a small 'Goodnight' and made his way to the door. They waited until they couldn't see him anymore before heading to the elevator.

When the door of their room shut behind them, Sarah said, "Ok, it's time for bed." The pokemon agreed, being exhausted from their game. William looked ready to protest, then Sarah said, "We just have to wait until tomorrow." He frowned, and nodded. They took turns getting into their pajamas, then went to bed. Sarah thought she'd be up for most of the night worrying about what their mom would say, but the day was so long that she drifted off to sleep.

- - - - -

The next morning, Sarah woke to the familiar feel of the sun's rays on her face. The heat felt good, but the light was starting to blind her, even through closed eyes. She turned her head and opened them.

She stared at the wall on the other side of the room for a minute, then checked on the pokemon sleeping next to her. They both lay in a peaceful sleep.

Anxiety built up in her chest as she thought about what her mom would say. _Might as well get up,_ she thought, slowly sitting up. She stretched, causing Saphira to wake up. She smiled weakly at her trainer. Sarah smiled back, then gently shook Ignitus. He stirred a bit, then opened his eyes. He smiled at her, seeming to forget yesterday's troubles, and yawned cutely.

They all got out of bed. Their moods were down as they thought of what would happen. Sarah woke her brother, and they got dressed without a word.

They left the Pokemon Center to meet with Glaedr. He was waiting at the bottom of the hill this time. They greeted him, and went back to the Pokemon Center.

They entered the center, the crowd growing quickly. Sarah sighed. _Well, I doubt it will be long until she calls us._

As if on cue, they heard a voice over the intercom.

"If there is a Sarah Ryder here, please come to the reception desk."

Sarah's heart jumped into her throat and she gulped_. I guess mom didn't waste any time. _The others followed her as she went to answer the call.

When they got to the desk Nurse Joy greeted them. "Hello."

"Hi." Sarah paused. "I'm Sarah Ryder."

"Ah, yes. Your mother called and says she wants you to call her at home."

Sarah looked down. "Ok… Thanks." Not looking forward to the upcoming conversation, Sarah made her way to one of the videophones.

Feeling nauseous, Sarah picked up the receiver and dialed her number. Almost immediately, as if she was waiting by the phone, her mother appeared on the screen. She didn't look very happy.

Sarah tried to suppress the lump forming in her throat. "Hi, mom." Their mother just stared, making William squirm.

Finally, she said in a low tone. "I saw the news."

Sarah averted her eyes, and nodded. She tried to prepare herself for a bit of scolding, then some directions to come home.

She didn't see as her mother's face lightened.

"I'm so proud of you!"

Sarah quickly looked back at the screen. She couldn't believe what she just heard; she wanted to pinch herself to see if she was dreaming, but she couldn't move.

"I hoped you wouldn't have such trouble, but you were so brave!" She looked on the verge of tears.

Sarah just stood there. She couldn't believe what her mother said. _She's not mad…? She's… proud?_

She finally broke out of her stupor as she felt something nudge her back. She looked briefly behind her to see Glaedr lifting his head back up with a smile. She glanced at her brother, who just stood there with wide eyes.

She turned her attention to her mom. She tried to think of what to say but couldn't think of anything. "But… you… it…" she stuttered.

Her mother beamed. "You thought I would get mad and tell you to come home?" Sarah nodded.

"Well…" Mrs. Ryder looked at the floor. "I was very worried when I saw the news… I hoped you wouldn't have to deal with such dangerous people… but, even though I'm still always worried, I can see that you can take care of yourselves."

Sarah blinked in disbelief. Her mother wasn't going to make them come home; she was trusting them to be careful, and was proud of what they did.

Her heart still pounding in her chest, Sarah finally managed a smile. "Thanks mom."

Mrs. Ryder looked back at them. "Just be sure to take care of each other," she said sternly. She looked at the floor where Saphira and Ignitus stood. "And thank you for watching my children." The two pokemon nodded, glad that they could help.

Sarah looked at her brother. He finally got over his shock and beamed.

"So…" Mrs. Ryder said, "What else have you done so far?" Finally realizing that she wouldn't have to go home, Sarah got excited and told her about their most recent events, including her first badge. They showed it to her, and she couldn't stop saying how proud she was.

After a few more things, they finally hung up, promising her one more time that they would be careful.

After the screen went blank, Sarah beamed. She turned to everyone, and they smiled. Ignitus did his usual goofy dance, making them all laugh.

Sarah sighed in relief, unable to stop smiling. _Well, that's one less thing to worry about._

Finally, William, still happy that they didn't have to worry about their journey ending, said, "Can we eat now?" Sarah chuckled and nodded, so they all made their way to the food counter and sat down with their breakfast, excited about the day.


	10. A Legend and A Plan Revealed

An old woman walked through her small house, the brilliant rays of morning sunlight shown through her window.

She lived alone, in a large town in Hoenn. She had very little family, who came to visit when they could, but were busy with their own lives.

Her ancestors had passed down legends from generation to generation of her family. The had the power to know which legends were real, and which generation they would happen. Many members of her family had a part in these legends when they used their family's inherited power… The Power of the Aura.

She walked into her small living room, leaning on a walking cane, and a cup of tea and a saucer in hand. She wasn't dependant on the cane, but used it should she fall in her old age. Her long white hair slung behind her, revealing a face prominent with shallow wrinkles.

She stopped in front of a pillowed chair, leaning her cane against it. She sat down, now holding the teacup in both hands.

With a steady hand, she lifted the hot cup to her mouth, blew away the steam, and took a cautious sip. She smiled, satisfied.

_Nothing like a cup of tea to help an old timer like me, _she chuckled to herself. It was true; she was in her seventies, but appeared slightly younger, and was fit for her age. She had a lot of physical activities when she was young, and had a cup of tea everyday, keeping her strong in her old age.

She laid the cup and saucer on her lap, and retrieved a remote from a small end table placed to the right of her chair. She pointed it at the TV in front of her, and turned it on. After adjusting the volume, she set the remote back on the table, and watched the news.

She took another sip of tea as the newsman spoke. "As a special news report, an unexpected interview was received yesterday when one of our camera crews went to Rustboro City to interview Devon Company President, Joseph Stone." The screen changed to a recording of a group of people and pokemon in front of the Devon Company building. "It appears a pokemon trainer was in the right place at the right time for Mr. Stone's assistant."

As a young girl with short brown hair came onto the screen, the old woman's eyes became wide, as if she had just been shocked. The girl held a small Bagon and Charmander, and a Tropius stood in the background. A young boy stood next to her, holding a Zigzagoon. But the woman's eyes stayed focused on the girl.

She listened as the girl and boy introduced themselves, and the girl began to tell a story about Team Aqua.

The woman blinked in shock, although she heard the girl's whole story. _Can it be…?_ she thought, her mouth slightly agape. _The legend…_ Hoping with all her strength, she closed her mouth, took a calming breath, and closed her eyes.

A soft blue light surrounded the outline of her body. An ethereal breeze gently played with her hair. She could see everything past her closed eyes, but they were now different shades of blue. She focused on the girl, and tried to see what she was looking for.

Her heart leaped. It was hard to tell, but, she thought she saw what she had been waiting so long to see; what the legend of her time said needed to be found. She opened her eyes, the blue light around her fading.

_I see the aura…_she thought, her breath quickening. _But_… she looked at the floor. _The only way to know for sure is to see it in person._ The girl left the screen, and the newsman came back on, starting another report. The old woman looked away, her wrinkles meeting as she slightly frowned.

_They said she is a pokemon trainer…_ she thought. _She is surely collecting badges… It is only a matter of time until this Sarah Ryder comes here._ She closed her eyes.

I just hope she gets here before it's too late… 

- - - - -

"So, what are gonna do today!?" William asked excitedly. He was standing up, refusing to stay still in his seat as they all ate breakfast, still ecstatic that their mother hadn't made them come home after finding out about the dangerous run-in with Team Aqua.

"We're going to Dewford for the next badge," Sarah said calmly. She was excited too, and she would be grateful to her mother forever, but she wanted to focus on her journey. "Now, quit worrying about it and finish your breakfast." When he looked ready to protest, Sarah cut him off. "The sooner you do, the sooner we can leave, and I have a surprise for you."

William beamed. "Ok!" He immediately sat down and started eating as fast as he could.

Sarah choked back a laugh. _Ok, maybe I shouldn't have said that…_

After a few more minutes, everyone was done (William finished way before they did), and got ready to leave. They headed to the reception desk, thanked Nurse Joy for letting them stay, and handed over their room's key.

After finally getting out of the crowded Pokemon Center, Sarah got out her Pokenav and turned it on. She knew where to go, but she wanted to be sure. She mapped everything out, trying to ignore William as he watched her, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Can we go now!?" William asked, his tone mostly excited. Sarah put her Pokenav away and looked at him. She opened her mouth to answer him, but noticed something standing next to him. She looked down and saw Ignitus mimicking William's movements. He had a small frown on his face, and he was tapping his foot with his paws on his sides.

Sarah started cracking up. _What is up with this guy?_ she thought fondly. _He's such a comedian!_

Sarah managed to keep her laughs in. William looked at her like she was insane as she wiped a tear from her watering eyes. Ignoring her brother, Sarah said, "Ignitus, what are you doing? Are you impatient for me too?"

Ignitus immediately stopped his movements and cocked his head. He squeaked in question.

Sarah was confused, then heard Saphira speaking next to her. 'He thinks it was a game.'

"Oh," Sarah said. She returned her attention to the Charmander. William was now looking at him, after realizing that he was being copied.

"It wasn't a game, Ignitus," Sarah explained. "William was just getting impatient, and sometimes that's what people do when they don't want to wait anymore." Ignitus scrunched up his face as he processed the information. After realizing what she meant, he smiled and nodded.

William chuckled. "Hey, I can teach you some games, buddy." William bent down and picked up the small orange dragon. "Would you like that?" Ignitus squeaked and nodded.

"Ok!" William said, beaming. He bent down, and picked up Rascal, positioning one pokemon in each arm. "I'll teach you both some games!" The two small pokemon cheered. Sarah watched in amusement. She glanced at Saphira, who watched her trainer's brother with a smile. She looked at Glaedr, who shook his head fondly and smiled.

She looked up at the blue sky, watched a few small clouds float by, and started walking forward. Saphira walked right next to her, with William tagging behind, telling the two pokemon about Hide and Seek, and Glaedr towered behind them, seeming to keep a watchful eye over the group.

They took their usual route through the city toward the hill. William talked to the pokemon he was holding the whole time, seeming to forget his earlier impatience.

When they got to the base of the hill, Sarah picked up Saphira and started walking up it. William stopped talking as he realized where they were.

He looked around questioningly, then looked up at his sister. "Sarah, where are we going? Aren't we going backwards?"

Sarah stopped and turned around, positioning her feet so she wouldn't slide back down the steep hill. "No. We have to go back through the woods to get to Dewford."

William's eyes widened, and he gulped. The two pokemon he held looked at him questioningly.

"But… why do we have to go back in there?" he asked nervously.

Sarah frowned, confused. She glanced at Saphira, then looked back at her brother. "We've gone back in there more than once. What's the problem?"

"Yeah, but we never went very far in," William said. "The last time we went all the way through, it was scary."

_Oh…_ Sarah thought as she realized what he meant. She tried to sound convincing. "But there's nothing to be scared of. All those sounds were just wild pokemon, remember?"

William looked at her like she was stupid. "Team Aqua! Duh!"

"Oh…yeah…" Sarah felt just as stupid as she probably looked to William.

She sighed, then stepped carefully back down the hill and stood in front of him. "William…" She didn't know how scared he was, and wanted to pick the right words. He was looking at the ground in front of him.

"I won't let anything happen to you," she said reassuringly. "We won't run into Team Aqua again, but even if we did, I promise, our pokemon will keep us safe." All of the pokemon agreed with her in their own language. William perked up. He looked at Sarah with a smile.

Sarah smiled back. "That's what being a team is about; you work together and take care of each other. And that's what we're all going to do."

William nodded, the information seeming to be written in his mind. Sarah nodded, then turned around and went back up the hill, this time, everyone following.

They set their pokemon down and took a short breather when they got to the top, then they all walked through the trees.

They tried to find the same path they took to get there from. It didn't take long for them to emerge onto the same dark path that they took last time. Ignitus tagged along in the back, his tail their only light.

After a few minutes, Sarah was surprised at how quiet her brother was. She thought that he had gotten over his fear, and would be yakking her ear off. She looked at him. She was puzzled to see a mortified expression on his face, and a small bead of sweat on his cheek.

She hesitated, then said, "…William?"

William jumped in surprise. "WHAT!?" Sarah jumped back, surprised at the fear in his voice. They both stood still.

Sarah sighed. _Did he already forget what I said?_ "William, I told you there's nothing to be afraid of."

William gulped and looked at her. "But-"

He was interrupted as Ignitus, who wasn't paying attention and didn't realize that everyone had stopped walking, crashed into the back of William's leg.

"AHHHH!!!" William shrieked. He jumped, then clamped his arms around Sarah like a Kingler. "WE'RE GONNA DIE!!!"

Sarah winced at his grip, then took in a shallow breath. _Yeah, I think I will if you don't let go,_ she thought, as she tried to squirm out of his grasp.

Glaedr noticed Sarah's lack of air, and clamped his teeth gently onto the back of William's shirt, and tried to pull him off. William resisted and tightened his grip, if that was possible.

Glaedr pulled harder, and was helped as the three small pokemon pulled at William's pant leg. With their combined strength, William finally let go. As soon as he did, Sarah took a deep breath, and her hand flew to her chest as she breathed heavily.

William looked at her dumbfounded, then blushed as he realized what he did. "Sorry…" he said, scratching the back of his head. "I didn't realize I was hugging you so tight."

Sarah finally regained her breath and said, "Yeah, you were, and you need to chill." She wasn't angry at him, but wished he hadn't tried to suffocate her. "But, it's ok." She turned to the pokemon after she realized that they helped. "Thanks, guys," she chuckled. They all said 'You're Welcome' in their own language, even though she couldn't understand all of them.

Sarah looked at William. "Did you already forget what I said?"

"No."

"The what's the problem?"

William kicked his foot across the ground. "I remember what you said, but it's not like I can get over the Team Aqua thing that quickly. Sure, it was cool, but it was really scary."

Sarah sighed, but understood. "Ah, don't worry about it. You'll get over it quick, and you'll be really brave once you do."

William looked at her with a smile. "I'll be brave like you?"

Sarah frowned. Since when am I brave? She shrugged, remembering that he always had something to compliment her with.

"Yeah, I guess," she said, scratching the back of her head. That seemed to be enough for William, and most of the fear left his face.

He looked down as he felt something tugging on his pant leg. Ignitus was looking up at him.

"What's the matter?" William asked. The charmander scratched the back of his head with a nervous smile, and spoke. Sarah caught some of it, but it was translated to her by Saphira.

"He says he's sorry, and didn't mean to scare you because he was the one who ran into you," Sarah explained to William.

William smiled nervously. "Oh." He looked at Ignitus. "It's ok. Just be more careful, ok?" The small dragon squeaked, and nodded.

"And you stop panicking," Sarah told William playfully.

William laughed, and said mockingly, "Ok."

They all laughed, and continued through the woods.

It took them less time to get out of the forest because there weren't any interruptions with Team Aqua. Most of the trip was quiet, as William seemed to be trying his best to show that he was no longer scared of the small noises made in the woods.

The trees finally began to thin, and they found themselves out of the woods, seeing the ocean a few hundred yards ahead of them. They continued to walk until they made it to the beach, right by the small cabin and ship.

William awed at the water. Sarah smiled and stood watching it with him, letting the soft breeze play with her hair. She looked at the small cabin and ship, then noticed something she hadn't before. Last time they were here, they were looking at the water and only noticed on cabin and one ship. Now Sarah looked past the one closest to them, and saw a row of them stretching almost too far to see.

She blinked, a little surprised_. Well, if it's a company that takes trainers across the sea, of course there's gonna be more than one,_ she thought.

After a minute she turned to William and said, "Why don't you take the pokemon over there while I check on something?"

William beamed. "Ok! Come on guys!" He ran toward the water, Rascal hot on his trail. Ignitus hesitated, then followed. Glaedr took his time and walked after them. Saphira stayed with Sarah.

Sarah looked down at her. "Let's go see if we can get a ride." Saphira nodded, then Sarah picked her up, put her on her shoulder, and headed for the cabin closest to them.

They climbed about five wooden steps, and opened the door to the small cabin. They entered a small room with a reception desk in front of them, and a door on each wall.

Sarah walked up to the desk, looking around the room. When she got to it, she looked down. There was a small bell that said 'Ring for Service.' Seeing as no one was in the room, she tapped the top, a small ringing resounding off the walls.

As the sound faded, the door on the right opened, and a man came out. He was about a foot taller than Sarah, with white hair, a thick white beard, and a pleasantly plump belly.

"Well, hello lass!" he said in a booming voice, placing himself behind the counter. "My name is Max, Captain of the S.S. Pearl. How may I help you?"

"I'm Sarah," Sarah said with a smile. "Is this the company that takes Pokemon trainers to Dewford?"

"Yes it is," Max said. "Is that where you need to go?"

"Yes."

"Wonderful!" Max said with a smile. "If we go now, we should be there before dark. Is it just you and that fine looking dragon?" he said, gesturing at Saphira. Saphira smiled at the compliment as Sarah answered, "No. I have my brother with me, and three other pokemon that stay out of their pokeballs. They're all small except one. He's a Tropius."

Max smiled. "That's no problem. My ship can easily carry all that and more. Most of the time, one ship carries several trainers. Now, all I need is to see your pokemon trainer license, then we're off whenever you're ready."

Sarah wordlessly pulled her Pokedex out of her pocket and gave it to him. He opened it, then pressed a button. He read the information, wrote it down on a sheet of paper, then returned the Pokedex.

"Whenever you're ready," he said.

"We're ready now," Sarah said.

"Great! You can wait outside while I go make some small preparations, then I'll call you when I'm ready."

"Ok." Max came from behind the counter, and headed out the door, Sarah following.

After they were both out, Max shut the door. They looked at the water as they heard laughing. William had his shoes off and was playing in the shallows of the water with Rascal. Ignitus stood on shore a few feet away, clearly avoiding it. Glaedr stood at the edge of the water, keeping a protective eye on his trainer's brother.

"My, my," Max said. Sarah looked at him. "You have some fine dragons." Sarah glanced at Saphira with a smile. "Thank you."

Max smiled at her and said, "Well, I'll be right back." He walked down the wooden steps, then walked up the plank that led him onto the ship.

When he was out of sight, Sarah jumped down the five steps, landing softly in the sand, and made her way to the water. She stood next to Glaedr. He looked down at her with a solemn smile. She smiled back, then called out to her brother. The water didn't get deep very fast, so it was below his knees, even though he was about five yards out.

"William, come on! We have to go!"

William stopped splashing Rascal and looked at her. "Aww, do we have to?"

Sarah smirked. "I said I had a surprise for you didn't I?"

William perked up and ran to the shore, Rascal swimming after him, then bounding in the shallows when his feet could touch the bottom.

William stopped in front of her and asked, "What is it?"

"Well, the only way to get to Dewford is to cross the ocean." She pointed at the small ship. "So we're going across on that."

William beamed. "We're going to cross part of the ocean on a ship?"

Sarah nodded. "Yep."

"Awesome!" He clenched his fists with excitement, Rascal wagging his tail next to him. "When do we leave?"

Just then, Max came into view on the ship and called, "Sarah! We're ready to go!"

Sarah returned her attention to William. "Now."

"Yes!" William gathered up his shoes, picked up Rascal, and ran aboard the ship. Sarah chuckled, and started to follow him.

As Glaedr started to walk ahead of her, Sarah noticed that Ignitus was missing. She looked down, then turned around. He was still standing in the same spot, staring at the ship. Sarah frowned, puzzled, then walked over to him.

"What's the matter buddy?" she asked as she knelt down in front of him. "We have to go."

Ignitus looked up at her, then eyed the ocean, then the ship. Sarah frowned again, not sure what he was saying.

When she realized what was wrong, she smacked herself on the forehead. _Duh! He's afraid of the water! Come on Sarah… A Charmander's flame on his tail… Learn to think… _Ignitus cocked his head as he saw his trainer smack herself. Saphira chuckled.

Sarah returned her attention to him and said, "I'm sorry buddy. I didn't think about that. But it's the only way across right now." She held out her hand. "I promise you'll be ok." The small dragon eyed the ocean again, still seeming unsure; but he trusted his trainer, and took her hand. Sarah smiled and picked him up. She turned around and headed toward the ship.

As she walked up the plank, Ignitus clung to her shirt. She told him it would be fine, then joined the others as Max pressed a button, making the plank automatically pull itself into a little compartment, and the empty space be replaced with a piece that looked like it was really a part of the ship's sides.

Max then walked toward the front of the ship, and placed himself under a small, three sided room with a roof. He started the ship's engine by pushing a few buttons, then put his hands on the big wheel.

The ship started to move forward, and William put his hand free hand on the side, Rascal in his other arm, and did a few small jumps in excitement. Max pushed on a lever, and the ship went a little faster. After a few seconds, they were away from the dock. Ignitus tightened his grip on Sarah's shirt, and buried his face in it.

"It's ok Ignitus," Sarah said reassuringly. "Look how pretty the water is." Ignitus hesitated, then slowly moved his head away from Sarah's shirt and looked out at the water. The dark blue waves splashed along, gently hitting the sides of the ship. As the warm breeze hit his face, Ignitus smiled and squeaked.

"See? This isn't so bad, is it?" Sarah said cheerily. The small dragon squeaked in agreement, and continued to watch the waves, his head moving back and forth swiftly. Sarah looked at Saphira, who still sat on her shoulder, a look of calm on her face as she sniffed the gentle breeze. Glaedr did the same, his face in the air.

"This is awesome!" William said, his face moving back and forth as he looked around at the waves.

Before they knew it, the dock was nowhere in sight. Max pulled another lever and walked over to them. They turned their attention to him as he spoke. "There. We're well on our way. I have the ship on autopilot, but I will have to check on it once in a while."

Sarah nodded. "So, you think this will take all day?"

"Pretty much," Max answered. "We will be there before sundown though. Until then, you'll have to find a way to entertain yourselves. I have a deck of cards if you're interested."

Sarah nodded, then set her pokemon down. "Thanks but maybe later." She watched as Ignitus went over to William and tugged on his pant leg. When William kneeled down, the small dragon made small gestures with his hands. William smiled, and they started playing Rock, Paper Scissors.

Sarah smiled, then turned to Max as he started talking to her. "So, you're on the Pokemon League Challenge? Collecting badges?"

"Yeah," Sarah said. "I have my first one, and we're gonna get the next one in Dewford."

Max nodded. He looked around at the pokemon. "So, where did you get these magnificent pokemon?" Sarah summed up the findings of each pokemon in the group.

Max frowned as Glaedr's story was told. "That Team Aqua is no good. I'd like to see them all punished for their crimes."

Sarah nodded and looked at Glaedr. "So would I."

Max nodded sadly, then said, "If you'll excuse me, I have to go check on the controls." Sarah nodded as he walked back to the wheel.

Sarah put her hands in her pockets and tapped her foot. Every time Team Aqua was brought up, she would get a little bit angry. She just wanted them all to be punished for what they did, just like Max said. But she knew she couldn't do anything about it.

She started as she felt something nudge her shoulder. She looked up to see Glaedr with his head a few inches above her own.

"What's the matter?" she asked. Glaedr lifted his head, then turned around so his side was right next to Sarah. He turned his head toward his back, and gestured at the base of his neck.

Sarah stared, then her heart jumped into her throat. She looked up at the towering dragon with wide eyes.

"You… you want me to ride you?" she asked. At her words, her brother and other pokemon turned around abruptly and stared. Even Max turned his head.

Glaedr nodded his head pleasantly, and smiled.

Sarah looked into his eyes with disbelief. She turned to Saphira. The small Bagon stood watching, beaming from ear to ear.

Sarah returned her attention to her Tropius. She really wanted to, but she was nervous.

"Are… Are you sure?" she asked. Glaedr turned his neck, put his head behind her, and gently nudged her back, making her take a step toward him. He lifted his head and nodded. She looked into his eyes, and smiled.

Trying to calm the butterflies of excitement and nervousness in her stomach, Sarah put both of her hands on his back. She hoisted herself up, and sat between his neck and his wings. A smile unconsciously tugged on her lips as she felt his smooth skin under her fingers.

He turned his head and said 'Ready?'

Sarah's heart leaped as she understood what he said for the first time.

She beamed. "Yeah."

Glaedr growled softly in affirmation, then crouched. Sarah hung onto his neck tight, and he leaped upward, flapping his four leaf-like wings. They ascended quickly, making Sarah's stomach jolt and her eyes involuntarily close. They continued to move up, then Sarah felt him move forward. She slowly opened her eyes, her hair whooshing back and forth in her vision. She turned her head to see everyone on the ship gradually get smaller as he flew farther away. She could hear William faintly whooping as he jumped up and down.

Sarah looked ahead of herself, past Glaedr's neck, and saw the ocean stretch far ahead of them, no shore visible. She looked down, and saw the water rush underneath them, about one hundred feet below, as Glaedr flapped his wings faster.

At the height, Sarah's started to feel nauseous, so she looked at Glaedr's outstretched neck. She smiled.

"This is awesome!" she shouted through the rushing wind. Glaedr turned his head and looked at her briefly with a smile, then looked ahead.

Without warning, he locked his wings, and fell toward the water in a steep dive. Sarah's stomach lurched, and she held tightly onto his neck. They gained speed as they descended, the air rushing past them.

When they were just feet above the water, Glaedr opened his wings, then leveled above it. He surged his body to the side, doing a horizontal spiral, making Sarah close her eyes, everything spinning behind her eyelids. When he was upright, Glaedr beat his wings upward until he was back up at their previous height, then glided in a turn, and flew toward the ship.

Sarah opened her eyes and blinked to clear her dizzy head. When her vision stopped spinning, she shook her head, ignoring her nausea, and said, "Whoa! That was so cool!" Glaedr beamed at her. He continued to fly around, letting Sarah enjoy the view while he kept the ship in sight.

After a few more minutes, Glaedr steered himself toward the ship. When he was a few feet away, he swooped down and gently flapped his wings as he lowered himself onto the ship, everyone backing away to give him room.

When all four of his feet were on the ship, Sarah carefully pulled herself of his back, almost stumbling. She cleared her head as her brother ran up to her.

"That was so cool!" he said. "Was it fun!? Was it scary!? How was it!?"

Sarah took a deep breath. "It was both." She turned to the green dragon who smiled down at her. Max stood there with a smile on his face, his arms folded. "Magnificent…"

In spite of her protesting stomach, Sarah smiled. "Thanks, Glaedr." He lowered his head down to her level and she held his face in her hands, cuddling his face with her cheek. Glaedr hummed deep in his throat.

They parted, and Glaedr lifted his head back to his own level. They smiled again, and Sarah turned to Saphira. The small dragon just watched with a small smile.

A sudden surge of guilt entered Sarah's chest. She walked over to her small Bagon and knelt down in front of her.

"Saphira," she started, "You… didn't want to be the first dragon I rode, did you?"

Saphira immediately shook her head. 'I would not worry about something so petty. I am not your only dragon, and I'm glad you enjoyed the flight.'

All of Sarah's guilt disappeared. She smiled at her friend and patted her head, glad she was so understanding.

After standing back up, Sarah said, "Why don't you fly with Glaedr? You can see what it's like." Saphira shook her head again. 'I will wait until I can carry myself on my own wings.' Sarah understood and nodded.

She turned around as she heard William talking.

"Um… Glaedr?" he asked. Glaedr looked down at him. William shifted. "Can I try riding you?" Glaedr nodded without hesitation.

William beamed. "Really!? Thanks!"

Glaedr smiled and positioned himself for William to get on. Sarah walked over and helped him onto his back.

"Just hold on tight," Sarah said. William nodded, his face ecstatic.

Sarah turned around and talked to the other two small pokemon. "Do either of you want to go?" Rascal and Ignitus swiftly shook their heads, looking too nervous.

Sarah chuckled. "Ok." She turned to Glaedr and said, "Ok, go." Glaedr nodded, crouched, and took off.

William yelped as he was pulled up into the air. After they dragon leveled off in the air, Sarah could hear William whooping with excitement. She watched for a minute, then looked down at her Charmander.

"Why didn't you want to go?" she asked. Ignitus spoke, pointed at Saphira, then finished his explanation. Sarah didn't catch all of it, but she was able to make out that he didn't want to for the same reason as Saphira, and he was afraid of doing it over water.

Sarah nodded in understanding, and watched Glaedr and William. Glaedr did the same tricks that he did for Sarah, and she was able to hear William's faint whoops after each one.

After about the same amount of time, Glaedr came back to the ship. He hovered over it, and landed. Sarah helped her dazed brother off the dragon. She held him up by the arm as he threatened to fall from being so dizzy.

"Awesome…" William said, a goofy smile on his face. Sarah chuckled, and helped him sit down. Rascal jumped into his lap and licked his face, trying to wake William from his daze.

"Absolutely magnificent," Max said, fondly shaking his head. "Dragons are a wonder, they are." Sarah smiled at the compliment.

Max shook his head again, then said, "I believe it is time for some grub." Without another word, her turned around and walked to the side of the three walled room with the steering wheel, and opened a hatch on the floor. He lifted it, then disappeared under the ship. They heard a few faint noises, then he came back up with his arms loaded with more than enough food to feed all of them.

He set it all down, then went back under. When he came back, he had a folded card table under one arm, and a few folded chairs in the other. He took about one minute to set them up, then put all the food on top of it. He seated himself in one of the chairs, then said, "Well, come and get it!"

William must have been hungry, because he woke from his daze, and was the first to answer his call. Sarah picked up her two small pokemon and placed them in one chair, then sat down in another. Glaedr lay down next to them, and they all enjoyed a nice lunch on the sea.

They swapped a few small stories as they ate, enjoying the pleasant heat of the sun. Actually, it was so hot that Sarah took off her red hoody, revealing the blue t-shirt underneath. Ignitus decided to keep trying to play with his food, missing his mouth and making it land all over his face. Max got a kick out of it.

When they were done, (and Sarah washed Ignitus's face) Glaedr asked the two siblings if they wanted to fly again. Sarah said no, knowing that because her stomach was full and she wasn't used to flying yet, she would definitely throw up. She was also glad that none of them had gotten seasick. William agreed, and Glaedr nodded, having no problem with it, and took off on his own.

The rest of them played with the deck of cards. Max showed them some tricks, then they played some games, Saphira on Sarah's lap, and Ignitus and Rascal on William's lap. It kept them busy for hours, and before they knew it, they could see land on the horizon. As they neared it, Glaedr landed back on the ship and watched it approach with them.

A somewhat small town lay ahead. There were a few houses visible, and two large buildings. The dock came into view as it reached early evening.

The ship pulled up into the dock, and Max pulled a lever, pressed a few buttons, and the ship shut down. He pressed the boarding plank button, and the small wall disappeared, the plank reaching to the dock. He went down it, tied the ship to the dock, then motioned for them to get off. They obeyed and followed him to shore.

"Well, I hope that was an enjoyable trip," Max said as they all stood on the sand.

"It was," Sarah said. "Thanks."

"Of course," Max said, extending his hand to shake. Sarah shook it.

"You take care of yourselves, you hear?" Max said with a chuckle.

"We will." They all waved and walked into town as Max boarded his ship.

They stepped between the small houses, the ground made up mostly of sand. A few people walked by, glancing at the group. Some acknowledged them with a friendly nod, and some waved with a big smile. They would return the friendly gestures, guessing that everyone knew each other because the town was so small, and they were all friendly.

Finding the Pokemon Center was easy. They made their way to it, and went inside. Luckily, the door was big enough for Glaedr to fit through.

It was an average size Center, but compared to the one in Rustboro, it was very small. The reception desk was about twenty feet in front of them, and the food counter was on the wall on the right.

All the pokemon were fine, so they didn't need healing. Instead, because the lunch they had on the ship was hours ago, no one protested to the mention of dinner. They waited in a short line, then sat at one of the few tables and ate, Glaedr curled up next to them.

"That trip was a lot of fun," William said between bites. "And riding Glaedr was so cool!" Glaedr acknowledged the compliment with a smile, then returned his attention to his food.

"Yeah," Sarah agreed. She looked at her Charmander. He had some wet food on his paw, and a little on his face. He seemed to know there was something on his face, so lifted his dirty paw to wipe it. It resulted in his face being smeared with what was on his paw.

Sarah laughed. "Ignitus, you're making a mess." She allowed him to lick some off, then wiped his face with a napkin. "You gotta have better table manners," she told him patiently. "Don't play with it, just eat it." Ignitus scratched the back of his head with his clean paw, and nodded.

When they were finished, they disposed of their dishes, and stood in the almost empty Pokemon Center.

"So, what now?" William asked. Sarah checked the time, then thought about it. She looked at the room they were in, and noticed that all the doors were smaller than the front door.

Before she could answer, they turned around as they heard a soft growl. Glaedr had his head turned and was trying to bite at the bandage on his neck.

"Hey Glaedr, stop," Sarah said, walking up to him. He did, but still looked uncomfortable. He spoke to her with soft growls. Sarah tried her hardest to understand what he said. She did.

'It itches.'

Sarah thought back to what Nurse Joy said. It had been a few days since he had it on. "Do you want me to take it off?" she asked.

Glaedr nodded and lowered his neck to her level. Sarah carefully pulled the end of the bandage loose, the unwrapped it. She held it in her hands as it came completely off.

She looked at the almost completely healed cut. She carefully ran a finger over it, feeling a small bump.

Remembering Glaedr's discomfort, Sarah gently scratched the area, making Glaedr sigh and close his eyes. Sarah chuckled, and stopped after a few seconds.

"It looks like it healed pretty good," Sarah said, "I doubt it will leave a scar. Do you feel better?" Glaedr nodded, then rubbed her cheek with his. Sarah laughed and scratched his face. Everyone smiled.

"So, what are we gonna do now?" William asked, still smiling as the green dragon lifted his head.

Sarah threw the bandage in the trash, then looked at her brother. She sighed. _This center doesn't look like it has big enough rooms or doors for Glaedr, besides the front one,_ Sarah thought. She looked up at the dragon.

_I know he can take care of himself, but I still don't like the idea of him being by himself every night, especially somewhere he's never been before._

Sarah looked at her two small dragons, who looked at her, waiting for the answer, then looked at her brother.

"I think we should camp out with Glaedr tonight. The other doors are smaller than the front door, and I don't think he'd fit."

William didn't protest. "Awesome! We haven't camped out yet!" All of the small pokemon agreed.

Sarah looked up at Glaedr. "I just don't like the thought of you being by yourself so much. I know you can take care of yourself, but we all have to watch out for each other."

Glaedr didn't need convincing, and he nodded with a smile.

Sarah sighed, glad that he was ok with it. She turned to the others. "Well, why don't we go now?"

"Yeah!" William agreed, along with the pokemon. She nodded, and they gathered up their stuff, and left the Pokemon Center.

They went back the way they came when they entered the city, and turned to the left. They walked down the beach, the horizon with just a hint of orange painted across it.

They found a spot about fifty feet away from the water, close to a small clump of trees. The ocean's chilly breeze reached them, so Sarah put her red hoody back on.

"Ok," Sarah said after they set their bags down. "Let's find some wood and make a fire."

William immediately turned around and ran toward the trees, eager to get a fire. Rascal followed him, and Sarah chuckled. The others followed her as she headed for the trees.

They each emerged with different bundles of wood. William and Sarah had medium sticks piled in their arms. Glaedr had a pretty thick dead tree clamped in his jaws, and Saphira and Ignitus each carried a bundle of kindling. Rascal padded along with a wagging tail, two sticks in his mouth.

They set the wood down, and Sarah started putting some of the kindling into a pile. She set some bigger sticks onto it, and William watched in awe as Glaedr used his Razor Leaf attack to cut the dead tree into logs.

After she was done, Sarah backed and admired the pile of sticks. It looked ready to burn.

She turned to her Charmander. "Ready to light the fire buddy?" Ignitus nodded. Sarah pointed at the sticks. "Flamethrower!"

Ignitus opened his jaws and released a jet of flame onto the wood. After a few brief seconds, he closed his mouth. The fire crackled strongly.

"Good job, buddy!" Sarah said, rubbing the Charmander's head. He squeaked. "Good job everybody," Sarah said to everyone else. They all cheered and sat by the fire, Glaedr curling up behind them.

They talked as the sun set, setting a few more sticks and logs onto the fire.

"Do you know what kind of pokemon the gym leader here has?" William asked. The small pokemon were playing tag a few yards away from the fire.

Sarah shook her head. "No." She felt ashamed, thinking that she should have studied that more before she started her journey. _Well, I know we'll still do fine,_ Sarah thought.

The sky darkened, and night set in, revealing a sky full of stars. The small pokemon came back to the fire, exhausted from running around so much. Sarah said it was time for bed, and the siblings set up their sleeping bags. They took turns getting changed in the trees, then cuddled into their bags with their pokemon, Glaedr curling up behind them.

Sarah and Saphira stared up at the stars, listening to bug pokemon sing in the night.

When Sarah realized that everyone besides them was asleep, she remembered that she wanted to talk to Saphira. She smirked, thinking of what to say.

After a minute, she turned to look at her Bagon. "Saphira?" she said quietly. Saphira looked at her.

"Do you have something you need to tell me?"

Saphira blinked, a look of confusion on her face, which was rare. She hesitated. 'No.'

Sarah smirked. "Are you sure?"

Saphira looked more puzzled. 'Yes.'

"Oh, ok…" Sarah said in a teasing voice. She felt mischievous. "So I guess saying that you have a crush on Glaedr isn't worth mentioni-" She stopped as the Bagon clamped a paw over her mouth. She shot a quick look at Glaedr, found him asleep, then glared at Sarah.

'Be quiet!' Saphira growled. Sarah removed the small paw from her mouth. "Sorry," she said truthfully. She got rid of the playfulness, and became serious. "But why didn't you tell me?"

Saphira looked at the sky. 'Because it does not matter.'

Sarah blinked. "What do you mean it doesn't matter?"

Saphira looked at her trainer. 'You have to concentrate on your journey, and so do I. I can not let things such as this get in the way.'

Sarah frowned. She looked the Bagon in the eye. "Saphira, I always have time for my friends. Anything you need to tell me, anything, I'll listen." She almost looked hurt. "You should know that."

Saphira's face fell as she saw the look on Sarah's face. 'I am sorry,' she said. 'You are right.'

Sarah smiled and scratched her pokemon's head. "It's ok. Just tell me if something is wrong, ok?"

Saphira made a small hum in her throat. "Alright." They looked back up at the stars.

After a minute of silence, Saphira asked, 'How did you know?'

Sarah smirked. "I caught you two looking at each other in Rustboro."

Saphira's blue face turned slightly pink. 'Oh.'

Sarah chuckled. "But I guess that means he likes you too huh?" Saphira didn't answer, but the smile that spread across her lips gave Sarah her answer.

Sarah smiled, then yawned. She turned and pulled the sleeping bag closer. "Goodnight, Saphira."

"Goodnight, Sarah."

- - - - -

A man in a Team Aqua uniform entered a dark room. As he closed the door behind him, he looked at the turned chair that rested behind a desk in front of him. He slowly approached the desk, then stood in front of it.

"Did you get it?" a voice said from behind the chair. The man in the uniform shifted uncomfortably, then looked at the floor. "…No."

The chair turned around, and the man sitting in it glared. He had an average build, brown hair, piercing blue eyes, and wore a dark blue suit.

His voice was low and accusing. "Why?"

The man shifted again, avoiding eye contact. "Because there was an interruption."

The man in the chair frowned and stood up slowly. He stared the man down. "An 'interruption?'" He let an uncomfortable silence follow.

After a minute, he said, "You can't hide your stupidity from me… I saw the news…" He leaned over his desk. "You let a pitiful child and puny dragons stop you from doing your job!"

The Team Aqua Member looked at his boss, the leader of Team Aqua. He raised his voice, trying to defend himself. "But Archie, they were powerful dragons! And that kid had a lot of guts."

Archie slammed his fists onto the desk, making the other man jump. "I don't want to hear excuses!"

The Team Aqua Member waved a hand. "If this task was so important, then why did you send one person!? And it didn't help that I only have one pitiful pokemon."

"ENOUGH!" Archie yelled. He rubbed his temples and sat back in his chair.

He sighed heavily, then put his hands on his desk. He frowned as he watched his finger tap against it. "You know that I sent only one on this task because if too many Team Aqua members are together, they are easier to find." He looked up at the man. "And it your own fault if you don't have strong enough pokemon to do your job." He continued to stare into the man's eyes, making him shrink.

"You know how important this job was," he said. "We need a Master Ball for our plan."

The man tried to redeem himself. "But we'll get another one. That one was only a prototype."

"Do you remember nothing!?" Archie yelled. "We needed Two Master Balls! TWO!" He breathed heavily, then stared at his tapping finger.

"Well, because of this, we will only be able to catch the main prize." He glared at the Team Aqua member. "Do not let this happen again. And do not let that kid, or anyone else, get in your way again."

- - - - -

I hope it's getting more interesting. Reviews are more important than you can imagine, so please leave one.

Fun Trivia: Did you know that when I first wrote the first Chapter of Dragon Master, Sarah didn't have a brother, and was going to travel by herself?

Small Poll: Out of curiosity, you can tell me in a private message or in a review who your favorite character is. (Read note below.) It can be a human or Pokemon. In the next chapter, I'll probably displayed the results, and run the poll again later. When the next chapter is posted the poll is over. Thanks.

Note: When voting in a review, make sure you also leave an actual review. DO NOT leave a review with only your poll answer. If you only want to leave your poll answer, send me a private message. Thanks.


	11. Just A Dream?

Sarah opened her eyes; her head was cloudy, and her vision blurry. Something didn't feel right; all she could see in front of her was blue.

She blinked her eyes to clear her vision. Now that she could see, she saw that she was surrounded by blue. A calm mist wafted around her, although she couldn't feel it. She felt weightless, as if she was floating in it.

She looked around warily. She couldn't think, and her eyes drooped. She tried to see where she was, but she didn't know. She tried to figure out what the blue was, but couldn't; it was just there.

Her body turned around, seemingly of its own accord. Again, nothing but a misty blue. She frowned, puzzled, although her head still wasn't clear.

Her body automatically turned back around. She still couldn't think straight, so she shook her head to clear it, but to no avail.

Suddenly, the mist around her started to move faster. It swept over her body, then spun away, and turned in a circle. She began to panic as she felt short of breath. She began to shake, and looked back and forth, trying to figure out what was going on.

She heard a loud noise coming from in front of her. She turned her head forward abruptly, and her drooping eyes became wide. Something came at her from a distance. It closed in on her, and it quickly formed into a giant serpent like creature. It opened its jaws, and charged at her.

- - - - -

Sarah woke with a start, sitting up abruptly. A cold sweat covered her face, and she breathed deeply and quickly. She looked around, trying to find the creature.

She was back on the beach.

She felt something gripping her arms, and looked down. Ignitus and Saphira each held onto one of her arms, staring up at her with nervous faces.

Sarah slowed her breathing, and slowly looked back and forth at her small dragons. Finally, she said, "What happened…?"

Sarah turned her head to Saphira as she answered. The young dragon's eyes were full of concern and confusion. 'You woke us up because you started moving around a lot. You looked like you were having a bad dream, so we shook you until you woke up.'

Sarah looked at Ignitus, and he nodded, confirming Saphira's words. She frowned with a confused look, and looked at the ocean in front of her.

_A dream…?_ she thought, trying to process the thought. _That was a weird dream…_She replayed it through her head and tried to make sense of it. She didn't know why she'd have such a weird dream.

She sighed, and decided not to make anything of it. She could never explain her dreams, and, even though this one was very odd, she figured it was just because she wasn't used to sleeping outside.

She turned her head to her Charmander as he spoke to her.

'Are you ok?' he asked, fear clearly on his face.

Sarah smiled and scratched his head. "Yeah, don't worry about it." Ignitus squeaked, obviously no longer worried. Sarah used her other hand to rub Saphira's head. "Thanks guys." Both small pokemon nodded.

Sarah turned as she heard a stirring behind her. Glaedr shifted, then lifted his neck. He blinked drowsily, then stuck his head in the air, releasing a long yawn.

Sarah, putting the strange dream behind her, chuckled, and said, "Good morning, Glaedr." The Tropius looked at her and smiled, his eyes still slightly drooping.

Sarah looked to her left side to see if William was awake. He wasn't, but Rascal was, licking William's face while wagging his tail like an excited puppy.

William turned his head and gently pushed away the thing that was getting his face wet. He sat up and rubbed his eyes before opening them.

"Hey William. Did you sleep good?"

William stretched, then nodded. "I could definitely get used to sleeping by the ocean," he said as he scratched Rascal's head.

Sarah chuckled, then got out of her sleeping bag. Without another word, she gathered her clothes and headed for the woods. William got out of his sleeping bag, yawned, and went to the other side of the woods after gathering his own clothes.

Seizing the free time, Ignitus went over to play with Rascal. Saphira stood where she had slept, watching her trainer for a minute, a puzzled look on her face. She had a bad feeling, but she wasn't sure why.

Not sure what to do, she walked over to Glaedr. She stopped in front of him, and he looked down as he felt her presence.

'Glaedr?' Saphira said.

'Yes?' he asked.

Saphira hesitated. 'I think something is wrong with Sarah.'

Glaedr's head turned into Sarah's direction. He watched her until she disappeared into the trees, then lowered his head so his face was inches away from Saphira's.

'What is the problem?' he asked, giving her his full attention.

Saphira averted his gaze for a minute as she considered her thoughts. She looked back at him and said, 'She had a bad dream last night, and I don't think it was just any dream.'

Glaedr shifted his eyes to the side as he considered her words. He looked back at her and said, 'Everyone has bad dreams, Saphira. What is different about this one?'

'I don't know,' the Bagon said, shaking her head. 'I just get a bad feeling about it.'

Glaedr frowned slightly as he tried to think of what to say. 'Did she tell you what it was about?'

'…No.'

'Then perhaps you should ask her. Maybe you're worrying for nothing.'

Saphira looked doubtful, but nodded. 'I will do that.'

Glaedr nodded, then became curious. 'Do you know why you have a bad feeling?'

Saphira shook her head. 'No. It's just a feeling… I think it's my instincts trying to tell me something. Hopefully it's just worry for a friend.'

Glaedr smiled. 'I'm sure it is. Just don't forget to ask her about it.'

Saphira smiled back. 'I won't.'

Sarah walked out of the woods, zipping up her hoody. She saw the two dragons talking to each other. She smiled, and walked over to them, her pajamas in one of her hands.

"What're you talking about?" she asked with a smirk. Glaedr lifted his head back up, unfazed, while Saphira jumped in surprise.

Saphira looked at her trainer, and said, 'Nothing.' She glared playfully. 'And don't do that.'

Sarah laughed. "Sorry," she said truthfully.

'It's fine,' Saphira said, faking a smile to hide what she was just discussing with the large dragon. It must have been a convincing one, because it fooled Sarah.

"Ok. Let's go to the Pokemon Center," she said as William emerged dressed, and his pajamas in his hands.

Saphira nodded, and Sarah headed back to her bag to put the clothes in her hand away. The two dragons looked at each other one more time, then followed her.

After gathering up their things, and putting some sand over the smoldering coals that remained of their fire, the group headed back into Dewford.

As usual, William was asking Sarah questions as they sat down at breakfast.

"So, are you gonna try for the badge today?" he asked.

Sarah watched Ignitus for a minute, made a note of how much his table manners had improved, then said, "I don't know." She thought about it for a minute before continuing. "I wanna try, but we might have to train a little first." She thought back to their last training session. "We haven't for a while."

William pondered her words. "So, train in the morning, and you can get the badge in the afternoon."

Sarah was a bit surprised at how organized William's thoughts were. He usually just jumped right into things because he was so excited instead of thinking it through.

She liked that idea. "That sounds good. What do you think guys?" she asked the pokemon. They all agreed to it, so they made it a plan.

Once they were done, they rested at their table for a little while so they wouldn't have to start training right after they ate. When they all felt ready, they picked up their bags and headed to the beach.

They made it to the spot they had slept the night before, and stopped when Sarah did. Sarah thought about it for a minute, then turned to them.

"Well, why don't we get some sticks and rocks to practice some attacks." The pokemon nodded, and they headed to get the requested items.

They each emerged with a few different sized sticks and rocks in hands, paws, and mouths. They set them in a pile and got started.

Sarah figured that her pokemon were too strong and too quick to try moving the stick around herself; Saphira could probably break Sarah's leg with a headbutt if they weren't careful.

Instead, she just had them practice their attacks on the sticks and rocks as she threw them up in the air. Ignitus would use his Flamethrower and leap up with his Metal Claw. Saphira used her Dragonbreath, and worked hard to practice with her small Ember. Glaedr shot the sticks and rocks with his Solarbeam, and everyone watched with awe as he hit a rock dead on with a single Razor Leaf. Sarah decided to give him a challenge, and had everyone throw sticks and rocks up into the air to see how many he could hit at one time. He got them all. They did it a few more times, using more items, and the whole time, Glaedr only missed two.

When they used the last of the items, Sarah was satisfied. They were improving a lot.

"Well," she said, "We still have a lot of time till lunch, and I think we earned some fun. Anyone want to go swimming?" At this everyone cheered, especially William. Ignitus was the only one who didn't cheer, but it was obvious why.

Sarah managed to convince William to get into his swimming shorts before getting in the water. She followed suit as he put hers on, but she hated bathing suits; instead, she put on a red shirt and a pair of blue shorts.

William was the first one in the water. He swam out to his neck with Rascal, going under a few times, and keeping an eye on his small Zigzagoon. Sarah watched him for a minute, then knelt down by Ignitus, who stood near the edge of the water, watching.

"You don't mind if I go out there for a little while, do you buddy?" she asked. The Charmander looked at her and shook his head honestly.

Sarah smiled. She didn't want him to be bored, so she said, "Why don't you start making a sandcastle? I'll help you later." At the idea, Ignitus squeaked, and immediately ran a few feet away from her, plopped down, and started gathering sand. Sarah chuckled, then headed for the water.

She swam out to William, Saphira next to her. The Bagon was a good swimmer, and enjoyed going underwater, as she could hold her breath for a long time.

After a bit of splashing, they watched Glaedr as he took off from the shore and flew above them. He positioned himself twenty feet above them and ten feet behind. He then abruptly locked his wings, and dove toward the water headfirst.

When he reached it, a large splash resounded, and a wave reached the group. They looked around wondering where he would surface.

Just then, Sarah shrieked as he came up under her, pushing his head into her stomach. He lifted her five feet in the air, then moved his head away, making her land back in the water. William laughed hysterically as Rascal barked with glee. Glaedr snorted water out of his nose and chuckled in his throat. Saphira rolled her eyes playfully.

When Sarah emerged from the water, she sputtered, then laughed with the rest of them. She pushed Glaedr's head under the water playfully, then let go. However, he stayed under, and repeated his actions on William. Now it was Sarah's turn to laugh as he hit the water, the pokemon joining the laughter.

When William came back out he shook water out of his hair, then said, "That was fun! Do it again!" Glaedr smirked, then didn't hesitate as he disappeared under the water and pushed William into the air again. Sarah doubted it would get old, and laughed as he hit the water.

They continued their games for about a half hour, then Sarah said she was going to check on Ignitus. She warned them (mostly William) to behave, then swam to shore.

When she reached the sand, she stood up and shook water out of her short hair, her wet bangs falling in front of her face. She moved them out of the way, and looked for Ignitus. He was still in the same spot he was before, but he was now standing and was putting some sand on a pointy pile.

Sarah walked over to him. "Hey buddy. What're you making?" Ignitus squeaked happily as she approached, then looked at his project and said, 'It's a mountain.'

Sarah nodded and knelt down next to him. It was almost as tall as she was now that she was kneeling, and it looked like he started making a few small tips on it.

"That's really neat," Sarah complimented. "Why a mountain?"

'They're pretty.'

Sarah smiled at him. "You want me to help?" Ignitus beamed and nodded.

They spent the rest of the swimming time building the mountain. They gave it peaks, drew lines on the sides for details, and sprinkled some dry sand on top to look like snow.

They both stepped back to look at their work. It looked like a real, miniature mountain.

"It looks cool," Sarah said, bending down and rubbing her Charmander on the head. "Good job."

He squeaked. 'Thanks.' Sarah stood back up with a smile. She loved that she was understanding her two new pokemon so fast.

Just then, everyone else started coming out of the water. William shook the water out of his hair and used a finger to get it out of his ear. Rascal and Saphira shook like dogs, and Glaedr positioned himself a few feet away from them before he did so he wouldn't get them wet again.

"Are you guys done?" Sarah called out as they approached.

"Yeah," William said when they reached her. "As usual, swimming gives me a really big appetite," he chuckled. He gestured at the pokemon. "They're hungry, too." Sarah laughed. It was true; after swimming, his appetite was huge.

William looked down at the mound of sand. "What's that?"

Sarah looked at it. "A mountain. Me and Ignitus made it."

"Cool," William said as he kneeled down to look at it. "It looks real." Rascal walked up to it with a wagging tail and sniffed it.

"Well, Ignitus has a lot of talent," Sarah said, smiling at her Charmander. He blushed at the compliment.

"Well, if you guys are hungry, let's go to the Pokemon Center. We should wash our clothes first, though."

"Ok," William said, standing back up. They gathered their things and walked to the Pokemon Center.

No one thought anything of the people and pokemon entering the center wet; it was a beach town. Sarah told William to shower in the boys' restroom, and put his pajamas on so they could wash their swimming and regular clothes. He agreed, and headed to it with Rascal following. Glaedr curled up by a table and said he'd wait for them, so Sarah headed for the girls' restroom with Saphira.

While Sarah showered, Saphira got the salty water off herself in a small tub for pokemon, which was in each bathroom.

After putting her pajamas on, Sarah left the bathroom with Saphira. William came out not long after with his dirty clothes in hand, and Rascal following. Sarah gathered up the clothes, then headed for a room that read 'Washing Machines.' A worker stood in the room, and said that they would be dried and given back to them if she signed her name on a sheet of paper. Sarah did that, then went back to her group.

They all ate at the table Glaedr was lying by, then got their clothes when they were done. After putting their usual clothes back on and the other sets in their bags, they felt refreshed and ready for the rest of the day.

"Well is it time to get the badge?" William asked as they put their backpacks on.

Sarah considered it, then turned to her pokemon. She smiled as her confidence began to build, and the excitement of being one step closer to being a Pokemon Master, or, according to William, a Dragon Master, began to build.

"Are you guys ready?" They all cheered, clearly eager to battle. Even Ignitus looked pumped, making Sarah feel more confident.

She smiled. "Ok, let's go." They followed her out the door.

It only took a minute for the gym to come into view. It was about the same size as the Rustboro gym, but it was brown. The roof was red, and a banner with its name stretched across it. They read the sign close to the door to see what kind of pokemon were in the gym.

Dewford City Gym

Leader: Brawly, a big wave in Fighting Type Pokemon

_Fighting type pokemon, huh?_ Sarah thought. _That shouldn't be too hard._

Sarah turned to her pokemon. "Well, I guess its fighting types this time. Think you can handle it?" They all nodded. Ignitus tried to make a scary battle look, but instead, it was cute. They laughed, and walked into the gym.

The main room was well-lit through the open windows on each wall. A fresh, ocean breeze came in through them.

There was a woman behind the reception desk, and a young man with dark, spiky hair stood next to her. The two looked up from the paper they were looking at as they heard the door open.

"Well, hello!" the young man said with a smile. He lifted his hand in a friendly greeting, like a lot of people in the town did.

"Hi," Sarah said after she reached them.

The young man looked at Glaedr. "Wow! Nice Tropius. You a pokemon trainer?"

"Yes. We're here for a gym battle."

"Wonderful!" the man said with a friendly voice. "I'm Brawly, Dewford City's Gym Leader." He extended his hand to shake.

Sarah shook his hand. "I'm Sarah Ryder from Littleroot Town."

"Nice to meet you," he said as they ended the handshake. He looked at William. "Hello. What's tour name?"

"I'm William, Sarah's brother," he beamed.

"Nice to meet you. Are you a trainer?"

William shook his head. "No. I just wanted to travel with Sarah and root for her when she battles." Sarah silently chuckled.

Brawly smiled. "That's good." He returned his attention to Sarah. "Are you ready?"

Sarah looked at her pokemon. They nodded confidently, and Sarah said, "Yeah."

Brawly nodded. "The battle arena is this way." He came from behind the desk and walked through a door on the right wall. Sarah said hello to the woman, then followed him.

As expected, the room was big; it looked a lot like the one in Rustboro, with a dirt arena and a very high ceiling.

"Well, let's get started," Brawly said. "The judge will give the rules when the battle starts, ok?"

Sarah nodded. "Ok." Brawly headed to the other end of the field.

_Wow… he's nice,_ Sarah thought as she placed herself in the challenger's circle_. I hope he's not gonna change to being tough like Roxanne did._ For this battle, Sarah had all three of her pokemon standing next to her. William stood in the back, Rascal standing next to him with a wagging tail.

Sarah looked to her right as she heard something. A door opened on the wall and a man came out, and stood on a small podium. Knowing he was the judge, Sarah looked across the field at Brawly.

When Brawly positioned himself in his battling spot, the judge looked across the filed at Sarah.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Sarah Ryder," Sarah answered. The judge nodded, then lifted a small green flag and said, "This match will be between Gym Leader, Brawly, and the challenger, Sarah Ryder. Each side will use two pokemon each, substitutions allowed! Combatants, choose your pokemon!"

Brawly's face furrowed into a confident frown, then he immediately plucked a pokeball out of his pocket, and threw it onto the field.

"Go, Muscle!" he shouted. A Machop appeared from the beam of red light. He flexed his arms and let out a war cry as his pokeball flew back into his trainer's hand.

Sarah considered her opponent_. Glaedr has a type advantage with his flying attacks… But I don't want him to get worn out on the first pokemon…_ She did believe that any of her pokemon could take on a whole battle by themselves, but she wanted to be sure, as this would be the first time she ever battled with Glaedr.

Making up her mind, Sarah pointed at the Machop, and shouted, "Go, Ignitus!"

Without hesitation, Ignitus ran out onto the field, standing a few feet away from his opponent. He glared at his opponent with a battle face; this time, it was scary.

Sarah smiled with pride. _I guess he's not afraid of battling anymore…_

The judge let a silence follow, then lifted the green flag. "Let the battle begin!"

This time, Sarah decided to go first. "Ignitus, Flamethrower!" The Charmander immediately opened his mouth and the flame went straight for his enemy.

Brawly waved a hand, his eyebrows furrowed. "Muscle, Dig!" The Machop quickly dove at the ground and dug a hole at lightning speed. He disappeared into it, just in time to dodge the Flamethrower. It passed over the hole, missing its target.

Ignitus noticed this, and closed his mouth. He looked around furiously for the enemy, seeing nothing.

After a few seconds of confused silence, a small mound formed under Ignitus. Before the small dragon even realized it, the Machop burst out of it with a clenched fisting, hitting him squarely in the stomach. The Charmander hit the ground and lay on his back as Muscle landed a few feet away from him.

"Ignitus!" Sarah called. She watched as he got up slowly, one eyes closed as he winced slightly, then faced his opponent, trying to catch his breath.

Sarah gulped, but didn't lose her concentration. _That was a good move…_ she thought. She wasn't sure what would happen next, so she waited for Brawly to make the next move.

"Focus Punch!" Brawly shouted. The Machop clenched a fist, and it glowed white. With a cry, he ran at his enemy.

Sarah thought quickly. She decided to try to stop the attack. "Metal Claw!" Ignitus, who had recovered enough to keep battling, made his paw glow white with a silvery sheen, then ran at his enemy.

When the pokemon reached each other, fist and paw struck at the same time, colliding with each other. Each pushed their attacks, clenching their teeth with effort. They didn't break eye contact as they tried to stare the other down.

Finally, the strength was gone and they parted at the same time as the white disappeared from fist and paw.

"Flamethrower!" Sarah shouted without warning. Ignitus opened his jaws, and let the hot flames burst out of his maw. They hit the small fighting pokemon squarely in the chest, pushing him back a few feet.

When the flames stopped, Muscle held himself up with one hand and had his other on his chest. He glared at his opponent, then recovered from the attack and stood up with another battle cry.

"Tackle!" Sarah shouted.

"Cross Chop!" Brawly shouted at the same time.

Ignitus ran for the other pokemon, while Muscle crossed his arms in front of him and advanced on the dragon.

Just before they reached each other, Muscle leaped into the air. The Charmander watched the jump, but didn't have enough time to react. When Muscle was above his enemy, his arms glowed, and he struck down with both of them like a chop, hitting the dragon dead on.

Ignitus flew backwards and landed on his back. He struggled to get onto his feet, but was too weak and fell back to the ground.

"Ignitus is unable to battle! The winner is Muscle!"

As the judge spoke, Sarah ran out to her Charmander. She quickly knelt down and looked at his closed eyes. She picked him up carefully and cuddled him.

He cracked open his eyes and looked at her.

"You ok?" Sarah asked softly. He squeaked and nodded with a small smile.

Sarah nodded and stood back up. As she headed back to her spot, her confidence began to wither, and she started to get nervous. _Great, I only have one pokemon left, and he still has two… I guess Glaedr has to fight both of them… _

Sarah retook her place and carefully set her injured pokemon down next to her. He shook his head to clear it with slightly drooping eyes.

Sarah sighed, and looked at her Tropius. He looked back at her. The look in his eyes told her that he knew it was all up to him.

"You're my last pokemon. Ready?" Glaedr nodded confidently and swung his head into the direction of the battlefield, clearly glad to be able to battle.

Sarah smiled. She knew he was a strong pokemon, and he would do his best. Regaining some confidence, she looked back at the field. "Go Glaedr!"

Glaedr roared, then ran out to the middle as fast as his legs would carry him. He skidded to a stop in front of his enemy, and lowered his head about a foot. He lifted a lip at the Machop, and a growl bubbled in his throat

The judge raised the flag and said. "Let the battle begin!"

Remembering how good Glaedr's aim was, and wanting to get an advantage, Sarah shouted, "Razor Leaf!"

Glaedr swiftly began flapping his wings, and sharp leaves flew from his body. They struck his enemy in multiple places, sending the fighting type pokemon rolling backwards.

When the leaves stopped, Brawly shouted, "Ice Punch!" Muscle lifted himself onto his hands, then stood onto his feet. He clenched a hand into a fist, and it glowed a bright blue.

He advanced on the large dragon and aimed at his chest. Glaedr jumped to the side quickly, dodging the hit. However, his size made it hard to dodge again. Muscle swiftly turned on a heel and struck Glaedr's side. The dragon roared as the effective hit stung his side. Knowing that he couldn't dodge again, he swiftly flapped his wings, lifting himself into the air. He ascended a few feet, then started gliding above the battle.

Sarah tried to think of a strategy now that the dragon was airborne. Hoping for an effective attack, she called, "Aerial Ace!" She knew that was a move that could never miss. Glaedr obeyed the command by locking his wings and letting his body be hurtled toward the enemy, his neck stretched like a lance.

Brawly seemed to be ready for such an attack. "Dig!" he shouted. Muscle quickly dove at the ground and dug a hole, and disappeared into it within seconds.

As Glaedr saw his opponent vanish into the dark hole, he stopped his attack and leveled his wings to keep himself from colliding with the ground. His body leveled just in time, and he glided inches above the field. With a great whoosh of his wings, he brought himself back up into the air.

Sarah grumbled and clenched her fists in frustration as she saw the enemy's great ability to dodge attacks. _I guess when you do that, the attack can miss._

Glaedr kept his flight steady, lightly flapping his wings while he scanned the ground, trying to see where his enemy would emerge. He wanted to be prepared, so he began charging his Solarbeam.

Just then, he caught a mound of dirt making slight movements about ten feet below and fifteen feet away. He pretended he didn't see it and continued to charge his attack.

After a few more seconds, Muscle jumped out of the mound, spraying dirt in every direction, and landed a few inches away from the hole. Glaedr immediately turned in that direction and swooped down like an eagle advancing on its prey, and released the great glowing beam from his open jaws.

Muscle didn't know where Glaedr was, and didn't see him until there was a green beam within inches of his face. With no time to react, the beam engulfed his body, and he skidded backwards. The attack disappeared, and he lay on his back, motionless.

"Muscle is unable to battle! The winner is Glaedr!"

"Yes! Good thinking Glaedr!" Sarah shouted with a raised fist. Glaedr hummed deep in his throat as he landed in the middle of the field.

Brawly returned his pokemon to his pokeball. His face softened and he looked at it with pride. "Good job Muscle. You were able to withstand two strong attacks before a third one got you. I'm really proud of you." He put the pokeball away and pulled out another one.

With his face returning to its determined look, Brawly threw the pokeball and shouted, "Go, Burly!" The ball opened, and a Makuhita formed a few feet away from Glaedr. He put a round hand on his head and smiled at his opponent.

The judge raised the flag. "Let the battle begin!"

"Sand-Attack!" Brawly shouted. Burly reached for the dirt floor with his small, ball like hands and threw a mound of sand at Glaedr's face. The dragon roared and shook his head madly as the dirt penetrated his eyes. He closed them and tried to blink it out.

"Arm Thrust!" Brawly shouted, taking advantage of the enemy's distraction. Burly ran at the thrashing dragon and, using both hands, repeatedly hit Glaedr's chest like a boxer.

Sarah winced, her own eyes hurting in pity for her pokemon. "Glaedr, Wing Attack!" she shouted.

Still unable to see, Glaedr began flapping his wings viciously. One of the giant leaves hit the Makuhita in the face, sending him rolling backwards. He curled himself into a ball and rolled, making the impact cause no damage. He did a small flip and managed to land on his feet.

No longer feeling the enemy's attack, Glaedr crouched, then ascended into the air, trying to blink the sand out of his eyes. He glided in a few small circles as he let his eyes water, cleaning the dirt out as the tears rolled down his cheeks. His vision blurred, then finally came into focus after he blinked away a few more tears. He found his opponent standing on the ground and glared, growling viciously.

"Shadow Ball!" Brawly shouted. Burly put his hands together, and a dark ball with an outside layer of mist formed between them. He fired at the flying dragon, then started charging another one.

Glaedr saw the oncoming attack, and did a small spiral, dodging the attack. Another one followed soon after, and he lifted his body with a surge of his wings, letting it go underneath him.

Sarah watched with clenched fists, trying to think of a strategy. _Maybe he can attack and dodge at the same time with the speed of an Aerial Ace,_ she thought. _As long as that pokemon doesn't know dig, too._

"Glaedr, Aerial Ace!" She wasn't sure if this pokemon knew dig, but hoped it didn't.

Glaedr locked his wings and began a steep dive at his enemy. Sarah was right; the speed of the attack made Glaedr dodge the oncoming Shadow Balls with ease. But she didn't let that make her too secure in the outcome of the battle.

Burly didn't use dig as Glaedr dodged. He didn't try to dodge at all; he just tried to land a successful attack, but to no avail. Because he was concentrating on attacking too much, Glaedr collided with the pokemon, sending the Makuhita onto its back. Glaedr locked his wings and landed close to the pokemon with a great thud.

"Wing Attack!" Sarah shouted. She wanted to get another move in before the enemy could recover. As the enemy got back up, Glaedr flapped his wings with a roar, and the great gusts slammed into the enemy hard, sending him back to the ground. Glaedr ended the attack, and Burly showed no signs of movement.

"Burly is unable to battle! The winner is Glaedr, and the victory goes to the challenger, Sarah Ryder!"

"Yes!" Sarah whooped and threw a fist into the air. William knelt down and hugged Rascal tight as he cheered. Saphira jumped up and down with her small paws in the air. Ignitus stayed in a sitting position, but waved his paws while squeaking in delight.

Glaedr walked over to Sarah and lowered his head with a smile. Sarah threw her arms around the pokemon's neck and hugged him tightly. "That was great, Glaedr! You were awesome!" Glaedr hummed and turned his head to rub his cheek on hers.

When they parted, Brawly approached them, Burly already back in his pokeball. He stood in front of Sarah and smiled pleasantly.

"Great battle!" he said, extending a hand. Sarah accepted, still bubbling with excitement, and they shared a friendly handshake.

When they let go, Brawly reached into his pocket and pulled out a badge.

"Here's the Knuckle badge; you've earned it," he said with a smile. He seemed like he couldn't be happier even if he had won. He placed the small badge in Sarah's hand. She looked at it with a big smile. It fit in her palm, was a deep shade of red, and shaped like a boxing glove.

William was standing next to her no later than when Sarah had received the badge. He smiled at it and seemed as excited as Sarah.

"Thanks," Sarah said to Brawly.

"No problem," he said with a nod. He folded his arms. "You keep up the good work, and you'll do great in the Pokemon League."

Sarah nodded. "I will." She closed the hand that had the badge, then picked up her tired Charmander. She cuddled him gently, thanked Brawly again, and waved goodbye. Brawly waved, and the siblings, dragons, and Zigzagoon left the gym.

"Two down, six to go!" William said as they left the gym's front door.

"Yeah," Sarah said. She couldn't believe that she had two badges. But then she reminded herself that this battle was a close call. It was ok to have battle sliek that one, and have them be even closer, but she knew that she needed to start being a little more prepared before fighting another gym leader.

She looked down at her Bagon. "I hope you're ok with not battling this time, Saphira. I know you would have done a good job, I just thought that Ignitus and Glaedr would be good choices for that one."

Saphira nodded without hesitation. 'I cannot be in every battle. The decision of who fights is up to you, as you are our trainer; and friend.' Sarah smiled.

When they entered the Pokemon Center, Sarah headed toward the counter. After explaining that her pokemon don't like pokeballs, she gave Ignitus to Nurse Joy, then said Glaedr needed healing too.

"That's no problem," she said. "We get that more often than you think." She turned to Glaedr. "This way." She headed for the door behind her, which was two swinging doors. Glaedr had to lower his head but fit through.

Sarah headed to a table with the other three, then they all seated themselves and waited for the healing to be done.

After a few short minutes, Nurse Joy came out, holding a healed Ignitus in her arms, and a refreshed Glaedr behind her. Sarah walked over and accepted Ignitus as he was handed to her. She patted Glaedr's side, thanked Nurse Joy, and headed back to the table. They all rested comfortably, enjoying the rest after such a full day.

Sarah opened her hand and looked at her new badge. She showed it to everyone since she and William were the only ones who got to see it. When they were done, she got her badge case out of her bag. She opened it, and her first badge gleamed in the light. She smiled, and fit the second one next to it in its unique indent. She admired them for a minute, then closed it and put it away.

As she zipped up her bag, William said, "Hey Sarah, it's still early, so can we go to the beach?"

Sarah sat up in her chair and checked the time. It was early afternoon and there wasn't much else to do, so she said, "Sure. Why, you want to swim again?"

"Nah," William said. "I think we should make sand castles."

"Ok," Sarah said. They gathered their things and left the Center.

During the short walk to the beach, Sarah talked to her pokemon with a look of pride.

"You guys have been doing really good so far," she said. They all thanked her. Sarah frowned a bit. "But I think I need some improving. I gotta start being more prepared for these important battles." Everyone looked at her, confused.

"Well, that battle was kind of a close call," she explained. She continued, making sure they didn't think it was a bad thing. "I mean, I don't think it was bad; I don't care if we have battles that are even closer. That's what makes it intense, and fun. I just mean that I have to make sure that I know more about the gym leaders we fight BEFORE we fight them."

Sarah looked down as Saphira spoke up. 'I am glad that you are working to improve your skills without putting yourself down for any mistakes you might have made.' She smiled warmly. 'That's what makes a great trainer.'

Sarah smiled at her Bagon. She heard a small squeak from Ignitus and a small growl from Glaedr, letting her know that they agreed.

"Thanks guys," Sarah said. William looked back and forth at them all as they talked. He didn't know what the pokemon just said, but he smiled because he knew it was something good.

Suddenly, Ignitus stopped walking. The rest of them stopped when they noticed, and turned to look at him.

"You ok, buddy?" Sarah asked.

Ignitus beamed at her and squeaked. He stood still for a moment, then began to glow.

Sarah's heart jumped into her throat. Her eyes bugged out as she saw her Charmander's body be engulfed in a white light. Glaedr and Saphira smiled brightly, knowing exactly what was happening. William gasped and stared with his mouth hanging open.

Ignitus's body was now completely white, a soft glow surrounding the outline. His body got taller and thicker. The form stood there for a few seconds, then the glow faded.

Ignitus evolved.

A Charmeleon stood there, his skin a dark red, and a single horn sticking out of the back of his head. His arms and legs were thicker, and looked powerful. His ivory claws were longer, and his snout more pointed. His body looked so different; but his eyes were exactly the same.

Sarah's eyes stayed wide. She took a breath after realizing that she hadn't breathed through the whole evolution. She blinked in disbelief as the Charmeleon's lips curved up in a bright smile.

"I-Ignitus?" Sarah breathed. Ignitus waved a paw and, instead of a squeak, a soft growl escaped his lips.

Sarah finally pulled herself out of her stupor and ran to him. "You evolved!" she said. She knelt down in front of him and looked into his eyes.

Ignitus growled softly and wrapped his arms around her in a big hug. Sarah hugged back and had to fight to keep her tears from falling.

"I can't believe it," Sarah said as they parted. She looked at him as he continued to smile at her with the same sweet and innocent smile that he always gave everyone.

Sarah beamed. She didn't know what to say; she was so happy.

She remembered his dream, and finally said, "You're one step closer to getting wings." Ignitus smiled broadly, and cheered in his usual way but with growls instead of squeaks.

Sarah finally stood back up. She swiftly wiped away a tear that escaped her eye and smiled at him.

Just then, William came up next to her and looked at Ignitus, his mouth still hanging open. Ignitus waved at him, beaming. William smiled back and knelt down in front of him. When he did, the Charmeleon was now eye level with him.

"Wow!" William said. "You're so much bigger!" Ignitus scratched the back of his head, starting to feel self-conscious. William scratched the pokemon's chin. "But your just as cute," he chuckled. Ignitus growled softly in delight.

Sarah smiled at the two, and said, "Ok, let's go." William nodded and stood back up. They continued to walk down the beach with beams on their faces. Sarah looked at Saphira, and she smiled at her.

When they got to the usual spot, William got Rascal and Ignitus together to play a game. He decided against tag; he figured that Ignitus could catch him too easily now that he was bigger. Instead, they sat in the sand a few feet away from the others and started off with some Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Sarah sat on the beach and watched them with a smile that wouldn't leave her face. Glaedr curled up behind her, so she leaned her back against him. Saphira sat next to her, watching as William put his hands to his head and wailed playfully when Ignitus won the first round of their game.

"Well, this was a big day, huh?" Sarah said to the other two while she still kept her gaze on Ignitus.

Saphira nodded. 'Yes, it was. But it's not over yet.'

Sarah chuckled and looked at her Bagon. 'Are you trying to say there's another big thing that's gonna happen?'

Saphira chuckled. 'No.' She looked up at Glaedr. He seemed to know what she was saying, so he nodded to show his support.

Saphira nodded back and looked at her trainer. Sarah was again watching the other group.

'Sarah?' Saphira said. Sarah looked at her small dragon.

"What?"

Saphira rubbed her paws together nervously; she wanted to ask Sarah about her dream, and her paranoid instincts started acting up. What if it really was something bad?

The small dragon tried to push away such thoughts and asked, 'Just exactly what were you dreaming about last night?'

Sarah seemed surprised at the question, and the hint of worry in the dragon's voice. She looked up at Glaedr. His eyes told her that he wanted to know too, but they were calm and had no signs of worry.

Sarah returned her attention to Saphira. "Why do you ask?" She was a bit puzzled. "Is something wrong?"

Saphira shook her head. 'No.' Her chest twanged painfully as she lied to her friend. She tried to shake it off and continue.

Adopting a calm, and obviously convincing look, she said, 'I was just curious.'

Sarah looked into her eyes to see if she was telling the truth. She didn't mean to be accusing; it just seemed weird that the dragon would bring up something like that so suddenly, and have signs of worry. As hard as she tried, she couldn't see any lies.

Sarah shrugged slightly, figuring that Saphira really was just curious. "Well, I don't think it was a big deal, even though it was pretty weird…" she said. "But I'll tell you if you really want to know."

Saphira tried not to look too eager. She just nodded calmly and said, 'I do.'

"Ok." Sarah paused for a moment to gather her thoughts, then recited her dream to the two dragons. She did her best to explain every detail, including the blue that surrounded her, and the serpent like creature that tried to attack her.

When her narration was done, Sarah watched her brother and the other pokemon as they started playing hide and seek. She scratched the back of her head with a single finger as she thought about everything she said, and make sure she didn't skip anything. Finding that she didn't, she put both hands in her lap and said, "It was weird, but I'm guessing it was because I'm not used to sleeping on the beach."

She looked at Saphira to see her reaction to the story. The dragon wasn't looking at her, but off to the side, seeming to be processing the information. Sarah looked up at Glaedr, and he was doing the same, but he was frowning.

Sarah was puzzled at their reactions. She took a glance at each one, then said, "Guys, what's the matter?"

Saphira looked up at her. She wasn't sure what the dream meant either, but instead of figuring it out, her bad feeling got worse. She knew that telling Sarah would only make her worry; but her chest filled with guilt at the thought of lying again. She didn't think it would be good to tell Sarah when she would just worry, but she didn't want to lie again, not after they had promised to tell each other if something was wrong. How could she break a promise she made to her best friend?

Sarah watched her small pokemon as she waited for an answer. Saphira opened her mouth, then closed it when she couldn't decide what should come out.

Luckily, Glaedr was watching Saphira, and felt her guilt. Instead of making her say it, he said, 'No, nothing is wrong.' Sarah looked up at the Tropius.

He smiled very convincingly. 'We just wanted to know because we care.'

Sarah smiled. She seemed very convinced. "Ok." She rubbed Saphira's head and patted Glaedr's side. "Thanks guys."

'Of course,' Glaedr said. Saphira remained silent. She didn't get as much pleasure out of the head rubbing as she normally did; she could only think about her instincts telling her that something was wrong, and wondering if it was ok that they lied.

Sarah stopped the movements as she heard her name called.

"Sarah!" William said with a waving arm. "You wanna play hide and seek?"

Sarah still had some energy, and she liked games like that so she said, "Yeah, hang on a sec!"

"Ok!"

Sarah got up and stretched. She turned to Glaedr and Saphira and said, "You guys wanna play?"

Glaedr chuckled in his throat. 'I believe I am too big to hide anywhere, Sarah.'

Sarah smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of her head. "Oh, yeah… Well I thought I'd ask anyway." She shook her head at her own silliness, then turned to her Bagon.

"You wanna play Saphira?"

The pokemon looked up at her trainer. She still couldn't get rid of the feeling, so she shook her head and put on a fake smile. 'No. I think I will stay here and watch the ocean.'

Sarah glanced between the two pokemon as Saphira sat down. A small smirk played across her face and she said, "Ok. See ya later," then went to her brother.

Saphira watched her trainer until she was out of earshot. She let out a small sigh, then looked up at the large dragon next to her.

'Thank you, Glaedr,' she said with an appreciative smile.

Glaedr looked at her. 'For what?'

Saphira looked away. 'For not making me be the one to lie again.'

Glaedr frowned sympathetically and said, 'You're welcome.'

Saphira was silent for a minute as she thought about the dream. She tried to forget about the fact that she was breaking her promise and looked back up at Glaedr. 'What do you make of it?' she asked.

Glaedr looked back at her and blinked. 'I believe it to be nothing more than a strange dream.' He lowered his head to her level. 'What do _you _make of it?'

Saphira averted his gaze. She hesitated, then said, 'I don't know. I still can't figure out why its bothering me…'

Glaedr turned his head so he was looking at her face. She looked back at him.

'How long have you been with Sarah?' he asked.

Saphira smiled as she thought back to her first memory. 'Sarah was the first thing I saw when I hatched,' she answered.

Glaedr nodded with a fond smile. 'Then I think you are just worried because you have been with her for your whole life. Perhaps you know better than me because you've known her longer, but I don't think you should make anything of it. I'm sure if there is really something amiss, we will both know." He smirked a bit and said, 'Even with Ignitus's personality, I think he would know too.' Glaedr didn't have any problem with Ignitus; he was just trying to cheer Saphira up by mentioning his goofy personality.

It seemed to work because Saphira chuckled. She felt better and smiled at him. 'You are right. Thank you.'

Glaedr nodded. 'You're welcome.' He adopted a more serious tone before adding, 'And don't worry about lying. It was something you did to protect her from a possibly unneeded worry.'

That made Saphira feel better because she knew he was right. They smiled and watched the waves of the ocean, occasionally checking on and getting a glimpse of the group that was playing hide and seek in the woods.

- - - - -

I guess I shouldn't have flattered myself by starting a Favorite Character Poll. No one voted.

Anyway, as a small note, I've noticed that, (I think) in the pokemon show, they say a pokemon's personality changes when it evolves (Ex. Ash's Charmander loved him, then hated his guts when he evolved.) That's not how I do it in this story. Evolving is like their body growing up, and the personality stays the same. They change by maturing, not evolving. (Ex: Ignitus got over his fear of battling when he was still a Charmander because he matured, NOT because he evolved.)

Also, please review. I love the reviews I've got so far, but I noticed that they stopped, and I'm wondering if that's because not many people like my story anymore. Sorry if I'm overreacting, and please leave a review.


	12. Encounters With Friends and Enemies

The rest of the day was spent in the usual way; they had dinner in the Pokemon Center, then set up camp and a fire in the same spot on the beach. Saphira still felt a bit guilty about keeping her concerns from Sarah, and for lying, but didn't bring it up that night. The next morning, she told herself that she was just worried for nothing, and Glaedr would know if something was wrong, so she stopped worrying about it. Sarah felt refreshed, and realized that she didn't have any dreams. Still convinced that she had the dream because she wasn't used to sleeping outside, she figured that she was now used to it, and she put the dream behind her, mostly forgetting it.

As they ate breakfast in the Center, Sarah tried to figure out how they would spend the rest of the day. She figured they should try to get to the next city, which, according to her Pokenav, was Slateport. The only way for them to get there would be to take another ship, so they had to leave when they were done to find out when the ship would leave. She also wanted the use the Center's computer to look up some info on the rest of the Gym Leaders to make sure she was prepared for the battles.

Sarah finished eating first, and said to her brother, "I'm gonna go check some info on the Gym Leaders. You guys can let me know when you're finished, then we'll probably try to get a ship to Slateport."

"Cool!" William said. "We're gonna cross the ocean again!"

"Yeah," Sarah said, picking up her plate and standing up, "And I won't be surprised if we're not the only ones on it this time; it's pretty rare to have so little people on something that transports trainers to cities." She looked around. "And more people showed up yesterday afternoon, and I think some of them got badges, so they're probably gonna go too."

"That's no problem," William said. "We're gonna cross the ocean again, and that's all that matters to me."

Sarah smiled. "Yeah, I figured. I was just warning you."

"Ok."

Sarah looked down as Saphira collected her empty plate and jumped off her chair. Knowing the Bagon was coming with her, Sarah headed for the trashcans with her following.

After discarding their mess, they went to a row of computers that were set up near the videophones. Sarah sat at one and Saphira jumped into her lap. Sarah patted the dragon's head before starting the search.

First, she checked the next Gym Leader they would face. The only thing she knew was that it was in Mauville City.

When she accessed it, a picture of the leader came on the screen along with some info. He looked like he was in his fifties, with white hair that was balding on top, and had a small plump of a belly. He had a bright smile and a white beard. It said that his Gym was for electric type pokemon.

Next, she checked the info on his Pokemon. He had three; a Magnemite name Electron, a Voltorb named Shockproof, and a Magneton named Inductor. Sarah checked each one, and gulped as she read their attacks; they looked pretty powerful, especially Inductor. She knew they'd have to be careful.

After memorizing some of it, Sarah looked up the rest of the leaders. She tried to remember as much as she could, but knew she could always look them up again. She at least tried to remember each of their names and the type of pokemon they used.

When she was done, she was a little surprised to see that William hadn't come to say that he and the others were done yet. She considered going back to them, but a sudden curiosity kept her in her seat. She smiled, and looked up the Elite Four.

All the names came up on the screen, each with their own title.

Saphira looked at Sarah with a questioning look. Sarah looked back and said, "Just curious." Saphira understood, and nodded before returning her attention to the screen.

When Sarah looked back at the list, the name on the bottom right corner caught her eye. 'Lance, the Dragon Master.' Her curiosity grew, and she clicked on his name. A list of pokemon and a picture of a man came up.

He looked to be in his sixties, with gray hair resting under a blue sailor's hat. He had a mustache under a pointed nose, and his face was serious, with no smile.

Sarah studied the picture. _So, this is what the Dragon Master looks like…_ she thought. She was a bit surprised, and confused; he looked tough, but he didn't look very happy either. She smirked when she wondered if he just didn't like getting his picture taken. _Well, he's strong enough to be the Dragon Master of the Elite Four,_ Sarah thought, _So he must be doing something right._

After the thought, her eyes shifted to his list of pokemon. He had six dragons of different varieties. Sarah was interested in all of them, but the one that caught her eye was his Salamence. She felt a desire to know more about it. _Drake's Salamence… Must be one strong pokemon to be his._ Not sure if she wanted to see just how powerful this dragon was, she clicked on the it to check its information.

The picture of the blue dragon with red wings came onto the screen. He looked like a strong dragon with thick, muscular limbs and small, yet powerful looking wings. She looked under his picture and saw his name; Irador. He knew many powerful attacks, seeming to be a pokemon who had trained for a long time and had a lot of experience in battle. According to a small note near the bottom, Sarah saw that Irador was Drake's first pokemon when he was still a Bagon.

"Cool," Sarah said to Saphira with a smile. "I guess Drake's first pokemon was a Bagon too." Saphira simply nodded without looking at her trainer. Sarah frowned and looked at her pokemon's face. She wanted to know what she was thinking, so she looked into her eyes. This time, it was a look she had seen before; the desire to fly.

Sarah lifted her free hand and rubbed Saphira's head. "Hey, you'll fly soon enough," she said encouragingly with a big smile.

Saphira hummed and smiled back. 'I know.'

Sarah nodded and closed the Salamence picture. Just then, she turned her head as she heard footsteps. William, Ignitus, Glaedr and Rascal were coming over.

"Hey, we're ready now," William said when they all stopped and stood behind the other two. William's eyes wandered to the screen and saw the picture of Drake.

"Who's that?" he asked.

Sarah looked at the screen. She looked back at her brother and said, "Drake the Dragon Master."

William's eyes widened. "THAT old guy is the Dragon Master?"

Sarah laughed. "Be nice, William. If he's old, that means he's got a lot of experience."

William frowned while he thought. "Well, you'll still be a better Dragon Master than him," he said confidently.

Sarah chuckled. "Thanks." She still appreciated how much he believed in her, but she didn't think she'd ever be as good as Drake. She knew her pokemon could, but after seeing him and his Salamence, she doubted she could ever get enough experience to be that good.

Ignitus walked up next to Sarah's chair and looked at the picture. The computer was only a few inches above him, so he didn't have any trouble seeing it. He cocked his head as he saw the man's face.

'He looks sad,' Ignitus said. He gulped a bit. 'And kinda scary.'

Sarah laughed. "Well, he does look pretty serious, but I bet he's nice." The Charmeleon nodded in agreement.

Glaedr took a step forward and put his head about a foot away from the screen. Sarah watched him as he stared at it, guessing that he was observing the man and trying to figure out what he was like.

He observed it for a few seconds, only blinking once, then turned to Sarah. "When do we leave?"

Sarah was jolted by the question as she remembered that they didn't know when the ships would leave.

"Oh, yeah," Sarah said as she got out of her chair and placed Saphira on her shoulder. She looked at her watch, then looked at the group. "I don't know when the ships leave, but we better hurry and find out." They all nodded. Sarah put her bag on her shoulders then led the way out of the Pokemon Center.

They headed down a short trail in the opposite direction of the beach they landed on when they first came to Dewford. Within a few minutes, a lineup of small ships and cabins came into view similar to the last one they saw. Sarah noticed that these ships were bigger. As she had expected, there were already quite a few people lined up at some of the ship's cabins.

The group got in the line of the cabin closest to them. The beach was full of people talking to each other and their pokemon. Some of them would glance backwards as they heard the group. Some would immediately return their attention to what they were doing before, and some would look up at Glaedr. Sarah didn't think much of it; even though she figured there were a lot of large pokemon that stayed out of their pokeballs, a lot of people would still stare because of his size.

Luckily, the line moved pretty fast, so within ten minutes, Sarah showed her Pokemon Trainer License to the captain, and they were signed up. The ship was to leave in five minutes, so it was now boarding.

As the group walked onto the ship, they noticed the difference between the last ship they were on and this one. Instead of a big, open deck, there was a small room at the front where the controls were, with two people to run it, and connected to it was a common room where people could stay and rest. It left about six feet of room between the room and the rail all the way around, making the deck.

It was a bit hard to move around the people because of Glaedr's size, but luckily that was only because everyone was boarding and bunched up on one side of the ship.

Trying to get out of the cluster of people, Sarah led the way with Saphira still on her shoulder. Ignitus, Glaedr, and William, who was holding Rascal, were walking behind her.

They were a few feet away from the railing, when someone bumped right into Sarah, making her almost fall over. Saphira had to grab Sarah's head so she wouldn't fall off.

Sarah had to use her reflexes to keep herself on her feet and not run into her brother. When she did, she looked up to see who ran into her. It only took a second to recognize the blonde girl she met in Rustboro City, her Dratini in her arms.

_Oh man, it's Amanda…_ Sarah thought with a bit of shock as Saphira let go of her head. _And I bumped into her… again._ She shifted. _I hope I don't have to run into her every time I meet her, _she thought bitterly.

Amanda looked at Sarah with an exasperated look. "You again?" she said angrily before Sarah had a chance to say anything.

Sarah wasn't the type to be quick to anger, so she just felt slightly offended. She wasn't sure what to say, but didn't have to because William beat her to it.

"Yeah, it's us again," he said, taking a step forward. "Got a problem!?"

Sarah grabbed her brother's arm and gently pulled him back. "William, chill," she said quietly. William fumed, but obeyed.

Amanda rolled her eyes. Her Dratini fixed his eyes on Saphira and glared at her. Saphira stared back with a lip curled, holding back a growl.

Instead of answering, Amanda glanced at Saphira. She didn't think anything of it when she saw they Bagon glaring at her pokemon. She turned her attention to Ignitus, who looked at her with eyebrows furrowed and paws clenched into fists. She then changed her view to Glaedr. His head was now positioned right above Sarah's, staring at the blonde girl with a lip curled. He didn't know who this person was, but he sensed her loathing toward his trainer, and Saphira and Ignitus's reactions told him that she was not a friend.

There was a brief wave of fear in the girl's eyes when she saw Glaedr, a bit shaken by his size and the fact that such a large pokemon didn't look to happy with her. But because of how confident she was that she was better than them, it quickly disappeared.

Sarah could feel Glaedr's head above her, and had seen the look on Amanda's face, so she knew that, even though he had never met her, he was glaring too.

After getting back her previous attitude, Amanda just eyed the pokemon and said with a rude tone, "So, when did you get _those?_"

Now, Sarah's anger was starting to build. She usually didn't try to defend herself when she was being insulted, but she would never stand for insults to the people and pokemon she cared about.

Sarah took a small breath to stop the irritation from building in her chest, then said with a hint of anger, "It's none of your business."

Amanda rolled her eyes again and shook her head. "I'd think everything about you is everyone's business." Her pokemon squeaked mockingly.

That comment completely confused Sarah. She couldn't hide the puzzled look on her face when she said, "What are you talking about?"

Amanda took a step closer to Sarah, causing a combined warning growl come from each of her dragons. The girl surprisingly ignored them and stood there.

Amanda put one hand on her hip while using the other to hold her Dratini, then said, "You were all over the news. Not that what you did really deserved it."

Sarah almost shrank at the thought of this rude girl seeing her on TV. She still felt weird about being all over TV, and it made it worse that someone who hated her saw it and could now use it against her.

Without really thinking about what she was saying, Sarah said, "How did you know?"

Amanda put on a mocking face and, using a tone like she was talking to a five-year-old, said, "You know how some shops display TVs and play programs? I walked past one and saw your little news report."

The fury in Sarah's chest began to reach its limit at the girl's tone. She couldn't control it anymore, and just said angrily, "Well, excuse me!"

"Whatever," Amanda said.

Sarah stood there, silently boiling. She was about to say something when she heard Saphira say from her shoulder, 'Sarah, just let it go.'

Sarah glanced at Saphira then back at Amanda. She sighed, knowing Saphira was right. _I can't let her get to me,_ Sarah tried to tell herself. _It won't do any good if I give in._

Pushing away her irritation, Sarah stood calmly and said, "Look, Amanda." She paused and tried to think of the words. Amanda stood and waited while looking at her like she was stupid.

Sarah didn't want to say anything she'd regret, so she just said simply, "I would appreciate it if you just left us alone." She decided not to ask her why she didn't like her; she was curious and wanted to know, but she just wanted Amanda to leave before she would say something she'd wish she didn't.

"Fine," Amanda said as she started walking away. Without turning her head, she added, "You still owe me a battle so I can prove me and Kain are better than you."

Sarah silently fumed. "Pfft, _owe_ you," Sarah said while folding her arms. When the girl was no longer in sight, she said, "What I owe you is a big punch in the-"

'Sarah,' Saphira growled form her shoulder.

Sarah stopped her words right away. She looked away sheepishly. William put a hand to his mouth and giggled at his sister's comment.

Sarah just shook her head. She was never the kind to let her anger get away with her, but she couldn't stand seeing someone just insult people like that when they didn't even know them.

After William stopped giggling, he looked in the direction the girl left and scratched the back of his head. He frowned in confusion and said, "I don't get it." He looked at Sarah. "Why does she hate you?"

Sarah looked at her brother and thought about it for a minute. She sighed and shrugged. "That's what I'd like to know." She took a breath to calm herself, as she was still angry with what just happened, then said, "Don't worry about it. There's gonna be people who don't like other people for no reason. We just have to deal with it."

William didn't seem like he liked that answer, but said, "Ok."

Sarah nodded then glanced between each of her pokemon. She felt better as she remembered how they helped her out. "Thanks for the help guys," she said with appreciation. They all nodded with big smiles, seeming to let what happened go.

The people on the ship were now more spread out, so the group headed for a spot in the middle of the left side and stood by the railing. After a couple of minutes, they heard a big ship's horn, and the ship began to pull away from the dock. Sarah put both of her hands on the railing and looked out at the water, letting the gentle wind waft across her face. William stood on her left, staring at the waves with a big smile while still holding Rascal, who wagged his tail with excitement. Ignitus was tall enough to stand on the other side of Sarah and look over the railing at the water. He didn't seem as scared of the water anymore, and just watched the ocean before him with a satisfied smile. Glaedr stood behind them protectively and watched it with them.

As the dock disappeared from sight, Sarah forced herself to stop thinking about the unknown reason why Amanda hated her, and thought about how much she had done within the past week. She thought about how many people she met, how close she had gotten to her pokemon, and how well they were doing on their journey. That, combined with the beauty of the ocean in front of her made Sarah's anger disappear and be replaced with a warm feeling of accomplishment.

Just then, she heard something over the chatting crowd on her right. She looked to see what it was.

She was surprised as she saw a boy with black hair making his way to her. He had a Mightyena, a black and gray wolf pokemon running next to him, and a Manectric, a blue dog-like pokemon with a mane of yellow fur on his other side.

"Sarah!" the boy called with a waving hand. Everyone in Sarah's group was now looking at the boy. Sarah squinted for a second, then recognized who it was.

"Alex! Hey!" she said with a smile. She turned to face him when he made it to them.

Alex stopped in front of them and smiled. "Hey, how's it going?" he asked.

"Really good!" Sarah said, glad that she had run into a friend. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Alex said with a big smile. He looked at William.

"Hey William," he said with a wave.

"Hi Alex!" William said with a smile. He was glad to see him too.

Alex nodded, then glanced at Saphira, who still sat on Sarah's shoulder. He was about to say something when his eyes wandered in front of him to see a Charmeleon looking at him, cocking his head. He wanted to ask about him but stopped and looked back up when he noticed something big behind Sarah, and his jaw dropped when he saw a Tropius towering above her.

"Whoa! Are these pokemon yours!?" Alex asked with great interest.

Sarah smiled. "Yeah."

"Cool!" Alex beamed, glancing between each of them. "When did you get them?"

Sarah chuckled. _I like that question better than 'Where did you get those?''_

Sarah, very glad to introduce her pokemon and friends, took a step forward and rubbed Ignitus's head. "Well, this is Ignitus," she said. "I got him the day after we met."

Alex knelt down and smiled at the pokemon. When Sarah removed her hand, he scratched the Charmeleon's head. "Hi, Ignitus. I'm Alex." Ignitus, now knowing that this kid was a friend, hummed in delight and kicked a foot.

Sarah chuckled and turned to Glaedr. She put a hand on his shoulder and said, "And this is Glaedr. I got him the next day."

Alex stood up and a goofy smile spread across his face at the dragon's size. He made a small wave and said, "Hey, Glaedr."

Glaedr lowered his head and put it in front of Alex's face. The boy almost stepped back in surprise, but remained in his spot and continued to smile. Glaedr looked the boy in the eye, seeming to inspect him. He watched for a few seconds, blinked once, and grinned with satisfaction. Alex, seeming to know that the Tropius was ok with it, gently rubbed the large dragon's head. Glaedr hummed quietly and closed his eyes to show that he enjoyed the movement.

After Glaedr brought his head back up to his own height, Alex said, "Wow. These dragons are so cool." He noticed Saphira standing on Sarah's shoulder, and took a step forward.

"Hey Saphira," he said, patting the Bagon's head. Saphira grunted happily. Sarah smiled and appreciated that he remembered her.

After Alex backed away, he said, "Wow, I can't believe you got such cool pokemon so fast. How did you get them?"

Sarah wanted to answer him, but she really wanted to ask about his pokemon first. "Well, why don't you tell me about your pokemon first?" Her eyes wandered to the two dog pokemon sitting by each of his sides. A realization hit her as she looked at the Mightyena, and she asked, "Hey, is that Padfoot?"

"Yep!" Alex said while patting the Mightyena's head fondly.

"Whoa, he evolved, huh?" Sarah said as she kneeled down. Padfoot didn't hesitate to come over to her and cover her face with dog kisses. Sarah laughed and scratched his head playfully to make him stop getting her face wet. He did, and started kicking his foot.

"Yeah, a couple of days ago," Alex said after Sarah stopped scratching the Mightyena's head.

"Aww, he's so cute!" William said as he knelt down. He began scratching the pokemon's head, and immediately ended up getting his face covered in kisses like Sarah did. William laughed and playfully pushed the pokemon away.

Alex chuckled, then said, "Padfoot, come here." The pokemon instantly returned to his trainer's side, sitting down loyally with a wagging tail.

"That's really cool," Sarah said honestly. She turned her attention to the other dog pokemon. It sat there calmly and looked at Sarah with fond eyes.

"Well, who's this?" Sarah asked. She extended a hand for it to sniff. It did then approached her.

"This is Din," Alex said as he watched the two. "I got him the day before Padfoot evolved."

"Hi, Din," Sarah said as the Manectric stopped in front of her. He cautiously extended a curious nose to her face and sniffed. Sarah stayed still and let the pokemon inspect her. After a second, Din seemed satisfied and licked her nose. Sarah laughed and rubbed the dog's head.

Alex chuckled. "He's more shy than Padfoot, but if he knows you're a nice person, he'll warm up to you quickly."

Sarah nodded. Din then did a similar inspection on William, then got patted on the head by the thrilled boy. Now that he was introduced to the people, Din walked back to his trainer, so Sarah and William stood back up.

Just then, Rascal walked up to Alex with a wagging tail and barked. Alex smiled and bent down. "Awww, who's this?"

William eagerly stepped forward and said proudly, "That's my Zigzagoon Rascal." He smiled as he watched Alex scratch Rascal's head.

"Oh yeah. You had him when Sarah and I first battled," Alex said as he stood back up. He looked at William. "Sorry I didn't ask about him; I was just really excited about battling, then getting on with my journey."

William bent down and picked his pokemon up. "That's ok." He cuddled Rascal in his arms. "You know him now." Alex nodded and turned to Sarah.

"So, do you have two badges now?" he asked. Padfoot briefly scratched an ear with his back foot, then shook his head and returned to his previous position.

"Yeah," Sarah said as she thought about the badges in her badge case. "What about you?"

"Yep," Alex said with a look of pride.

"Cool."

Alex smiled. "Well, since we both have the first two badges and it's been awhile, we have to battle again." His smile changed to a smirk. "And this time, I'll beat you."

Sarah folded her arms and smirked back. "I don't think so," she said playfully.

"We'll see." They both laughed.

Adopting an interested tone, Alex said, "So, what have you done on your journey so far?" He looked at the two new dragons. "Where did you find Ignitus and Glaedr?"

Sarah sighed. "That's a lot of stuff. Are you sure you want to hear it?" She would be glad to tell him, she just wanted to be sure he was up for it.

"Yeah," Alex said honestly.

Sarah nodded, then started telling him about her journey.

She told him a bit about both gym battles, about rescuing Ignitus when he was still a Charmander and when he evolved. She told him about the run in with Team Aqua, how she found Glaedr, and how they ended up being on the news.

"Whoa, you were on the news?" Alex said, clearly impressed.

"Yeah," Sarah said, scratching the back of her head as she began to feel self-conscious again.

"Wow… Well, I wish I didn't miss it." He shook his head. "That's really cool that you stood up to Team Aqua." His tone changed to sincerity. "You got guts."

"Yeah, that's what everybody keeps saying," Sarah said.

Alex looked serious. "You should be more careful, too. They're dangerous."

Sarah nodded. "I know." _But I won't let them get away with anything like that again if I get the chance, _she thought. She wanted to stop feeling self-conscious, so she continued the conversation.

She told him everything else that she could remember, including their trip across the sea and the fun they had swimming and playing outside. The only things she left out were her dream, and the fact that Glaedr and Saphira liked each other. She didn't want to say anything about a pointless dream, and she wanted to respect her pokemon's privacy. She also didn't bother mentioning Amanda; she would just get mad if she thought about it again.

"Wow," Alex said, shaking his head as he thought about how much she had done. "I guess a lot of things happened since the last time we saw each other."

"Yeah," Sarah nodded. They were so into their conversation that Sarah just realized that a lot of people were starting to go into the common room. She wondered why, until she noticed a burning hunger in her stomach.

"Hey, why don't we all go have lunch, and you can tell us about your journey?" she said.

"Hey, that sounds good," Alex said. William and the pokemon agreed, so they all headed in. They sat at a table (luckily, Glaedr was able to lay next to them) and ate while Alex told them what he had done so far. He told them about how he caught Din; He ran into him while traveling on the road, and the pokemon seemed to want to follow them, but seemed to shy to do so. After Alex reassured him with a few words, Din approached him and was very friendly to both of them. After spending a few minutes with him, the Manectric refused to be left behind, so Alex asked him to be his pokemon. He agreed, and battled him with Padfoot because Din had requested it, and caught him in a pokeball. He let him out, named him and continued on his journey. He found that the pokemon didn't mind pokeballs, but preferred to stay out to spend time with him and Padfoot.

When they were done eating they stayed at their table and let Alex finish his story. He continued by telling them how Padfoot surprised him the next day by pausing when he was playing with Din. He evolved and Alex was overjoyed.

When he was done with his story, they all headed back out to the dock. Sarah sighed as she processed all the things that he had done. "Sounds like you've been doing really well," she said.

"Yeah," William chimed in, impressed with all the things the older boy had accomplished. "Sounds like you aren't having any trouble, either,"

"Yeah," Alex nodded. "And I've been having a lot of fun."

Sarah patted Saphira's head, who was standing on her shoulder and said, "Us too."

Just then, they turned their heads to the front of the ship as the ship's horn blew. When it faded the captain called, "Approaching Slateport!"

At this, there was a big commotion in the trainers. They began to talk louder and bunch together out on the dock.

Sarah, William, Alex and the pokemon managed to get to the railing before they were pushed away by the rushing people. They put their hands on the railing and looked to the right. They could see the outline of the city and the dock they were approaching.

As the ship pulled into the dock, they saw a large beach in front of them. There were many people on it, some in the water swimming and some lying out in the sun. The beach ended and started the streets about one hundred feet away.

The ship slowed by the dock, then came to a stop. Two of the ship's crew jumped onto the dock and tied the ship to it. When they were secure, another crewmember pressed a button on the controls and the ramp stretched to the beach. As soon as it touched the sand, the trainers started getting off.

Sarah and the gang waited patiently for their turn. They managed to get off after about half the trainers and stood on the side of it by the water.

Alex stretched his arms. "Well, that was fun, but it's good to be back on land." Padfoot eagerly sniffed around the sand with a wagging tail, although he stayed by his trainer's side. Din stayed sitting by Alex, but he looked around with great interest.

"I guess so," William said. Rascal was still in his arms, looking around at the people and pokemon that covered the beach with curiosity. "I could stay in the ocean all day."

Sarah chuckled. Saphira was mostly paying attention to the ongoing conversation, while Ignitus stayed close by Sarah's side, but looked at the beach, very excited to be on land and in a new place. Glaedr turned his head to soak in the view of the beach, then kept his attention on his trainer and the rest of the group. "It was cool, but I'm glad we got here when it was still early in the day."

Alex nodded. He folded his arms and smirked. "So, are we gonna battle?" Everyone now looked at him.

Sarah looked a little surprised. "Right now?"

"Well, you don't have to if you don't want to," Alex said. His said his next words in a playfully mocking tone. "Unless you're scared."

Sarah wasted no time in saying, "I'm not scared! We can fight, right guys?" she asked her pokemon. They all nodded confidently.

"Awesome," Alex said as his dog pokemon put on battle faces. He looked around the beach and stopped as his eye caught a good spot on the left. He pointed and said, "That part of the beach is empty. Wanna battle there?"

"Sure," Sarah agreed. At that, they all headed for the spot.

When they got there, each challenger was pumped for battle. They positioned themselves about fifty feet apart, their pokemon at their sides.

"So, are you ready?" Alex asked with one eyebrow raised mockingly.

"Of course we're ready!" Sarah called, eager to battle.

Sarah paused when she thought of something. "Wait a minute," she said. "We don't have a judge."

Before Alex could answer, they turned their head when they heard a voice.

"I can help with that!"

As they looked in the direction of the voice, they were surprised to see about twenty people, beach goers and trainers alike standing there, getting ready to watch the battle.

Sarah stared and gulped. _What the…? Why are they watching? _She began to feel self-conscious as the people whispered amongst themselves.

Just then, they saw a young man, who appeared to be in his twenties, approaching them.

"I'll be the judge," he said. He walked across the battlefield and placed himself on the other side so he was facing the crowd.

""My name's Kyle," he said. "Sorry, I know you don't know me, but I'd love to help out if you'd like."

"Sure, no problem," Alex said. "Are you ok with that, Sarah?" he called.

Sarah tore her eyes away from the crowd and said, said, "Yeah, that'd be great. Thanks, Kyle." She didn't mind the stranger being the judge; she just couldn't calm her stomach with an audience.

"No problem," Kyle said with a smile. "So, what are your names?"

"I'm Alex, and that's Sarah," Alex said. Kyle nodded and waited for them to decide what to do.

Sarah smiled nervously.

She didn't have any time to think about it before Alex called, "I only have two pokemon, so why don't we make this a Double Battle?"

Sarah looked at him, a bit surprised by the request. There were a few excited comments from the watching people as they heard it. Even William seemed thrilled as he beamed and waited for his sister's answer.

_A Double Battle?_ Sarah thought nervously. In a Double Battle, trainers would fight with two of their pokemon at the same time. When both of one trainer's pokemon fainted, he would lose.

Sarah started to feel nauseous. She never did a Double Battle before, and now she was going to have to do it for the first time in front of a crowd.

_Well, I've always wanted to try a Double Battle, _she thought as she avoided looking at the waiting people. She sighed. _Well, I don't know why I get so nervous when I know people are watching me, but I doubt it will be that bad. _She was surprised to realize that she felt less nervous than she did when she was being interviewed.

_Yeah, this'll be no problem, _she thought, making herself feel better. _I just have to concentrate on the battle. _

Sarah nodded, now keeping in mind that there was nothing wrong with being in front of a crowd. "Sounds great!"

Alex nodded and put on a determined battle face. He pointed at the field with a finger from each hand and said, "Padfoot, Din, go get 'em!"

Both dog pokemon immediately ran into the field a few feet away from their trainer. They stood side by side with their heads lowered and teeth bared. A few people cheered.

Sarah thought quickly, now only keeping her mind on the battle. _Glaedr would do great, but Din's electricity might be good against him, and he might not be able to dodge very well._

With that in mind, she raised her fist to the field and shouted, "Saphira! Ignitus! Go!"

Both dragons ran a few feet in front of her and planted their feet in the sand. The audience had similar reactions as the dragons prepared for battle.

Ignitus glared and clenched his fists, while Saphira let a small roar, her eyes full of power.

Kyle looked back and forth at the trainers and pokemon. He knew he'd be able to figure out the pokemon's names as the battle went on, so he raised his fist above his head and said, "Let the battle begin!"

"Padfoot, Shadow Ball! Din, Thunderbolt!"

"Saphira, Dragonbreath! Ignitus, Flamethrower!"

Each pokemon obeyed their trainer's and released their attacks. Din closed his eyes and released a jolt of lightning at Saphira as Padfoot opened his mouth, charged a dark ball, and shot it at Ignitus.

Saphira and Ignitus opened their mouths in unison and released their attacks, hot flame and electric stream flying out of their maws.

All four attacks collided in midair in the middle of the battlefield. The contact stopped each attack from reaching their targets as they exploded in the air, leaving a great gust of gray smoke in the field. The crowd cheer loudly.

"Padfoot, Tackle! Din, Headbutt!" The two dog pokemon both took off in a rush at their opponents, spraying sand behind them as they leapt through the smoke.

"Saphira, Headbutt! Ignitus, Metal Claw!" The Bagon lowered her head and charged at the Manectric. Ignitus fanned his claws, making them glow with a silvery sheen and ran for the Mightyena.

All four pokemon made contact at the same time; Saphira and Din's Headbutts collided, and each held their attacks, pushing on the other's head hard with glaring eyes. As Padfoot leapt at Ignitus, the Charmeleon roared and swung his paw with speed, his attack hitting the dog in the side and sending him onto his side. The display got whistles and cheers from the crowd.

The smoke was finally out of the field, so everyone could see the battle before them. As Saphira and Din continued to try to make the other give in, Padfoot got himself onto his feet as Ignitus ran at him with another Metal Claw. Just as the dragon swung at him, the wolf lowered his head, dodging the attack and shoved his head into the dragon's stomach. With a swift movement, he heaved Ignitus to the side and onto his back.

Finally, Saphira got fed up with the ongoing attempt to make her enemy give in. She pushed with all her strength, then quickly withdrew her head and opened her mouth to release an ember in the dog's face. Din yelped and stepped backwards, pawing at his face as the hot fire burned him.

Ignitus looked up at the sky, dazed form the hit he had taken. Even though he had landed in sand, the blow to his stomach was powerful and critical. His vision cleared just in time to see the wolf pokemon leaping at him. Taking the advantage, Ignitus opened his maw and released a Flamethrower. It hit the Mightyena in the chest and sent him ten feet away, landing on his side with a thump and a spray of sand.

After the fire burned his face, Din became enraged. Before his enemy had enough time, he charged a Thunderbolt and directed it right at her. He hit her dead on, making her small roar sound in agony. Saphira winced as the attack engulfed her body, then managed to open her mouth. When she did, she released her electric blue stream onto the attack, forcing it to leave her body and pushed it back toward its owner. Din realized this and stopped his attack just before leaping to the side, making the Dragonbreath pass him.

Padfoot was beginning to get weak from all the attacks he had received. He got himself onto his shaking legs and glared at the dragon. The Charmeleon looked tired, but not as tired as him. Padfoot wanted to get in an attack before he couldn't battle anymore, and make it a powerful one. He charged his power for a Shadow Ball, but didn't open his mouth. Ignitus snorted smoke out of his nose. He felt a new power within himself, and decided to use it. He took a breath, then ran at the wolf, glaring. When he was about a foot away, his tail shined a silvery sheen, like his Metal Claw, and he swung it at the wolf. At the same time, Padfoot opened his mouth and released his extra powered Shadow Ball. The attacks hit at the same time with critical force, tail hitting the wolf in the chest and Shadow Ball hitting the dragon in the face. Both of them were knocked backwards, Ignitus landing on his back and Padfoot landing on his side. Neither moved.

"Ignitus and Padfoot are unable to battle!" Kyle shouted, raising a fist above his head.

"No!" Sarah shouted, watching her Charmeleon with worry as he lay on the ground.

"Padfoot!" Alex shouted as he saw his first pokemon similarly on the ground. Both trainers admitted the defeat of the pokemon and concentrated on the ones still fighting.

During the commotion of the other two pokemon, Saphira and Din managed to get themselves head to head with another Headbutt. As their trainers turned their attention to them, they both tried to think of how to end the battle.

"Din, Thunderbolt!" Alex shouted.

"Saphira, Dragonbreath!"

Both pokemon leapt away from each other and shot the attacks at each other. The frustration of the useless Headbutts built them to their full power. When the attacks collided in the air, they made another explosion, this time sending both pokemon onto their backs as they were knocked away. The crowd became deathly silent as the pokemon didn't move. Sarah's heart beat quickly as she tried to look for any sign of movement from her Bagon. Alex breathed heavily as he waited for his Manectric to make a move. Neither did.

Finally, Kyle shouted, "Saphira and Din are unable to battle! This match is a draw!"

Whoops and cheers sounded form the crowd as the trainers ran to their pokemon. Sarah got to Saphira, as she was closer and put a hand on the dragon's head.

"Saphira? Can you hear me?" she asked worriedly. Saphira cracked her eyes open and looked into Sarah's. She smiled and said, 'Yes, I hear you.'

Sarah sighed in relief and picked the small dragon up. William and Glaedr appeared behind her, and William said, "Is she ok?"

"Yeah, she's fine," Sarah said as she stood up. She held her close and walked over to her Charmeleon with the other two following.

His eyes were already open and his paw was on his head. Sarah knelt down next to him and said, "Hey buddy, you ok?" Ignitus looked at her with bleary eyes and nodded. Sarah smiled and carefully helped him onto his feet. He wavered, but managed to stand.

Seeing as her own pokemon were ok, Sarah looked over to Alex. He had Padfoot on his feet and was now helping Din onto his. She smiled and started walking over to him with Ignitus keeping pace behind her and William keeping an eye on him. Glaedr walked behind them.

"Great job," Sarah said when she reached him. Din was now on his feet, shaking his head to clear it.

Alex looked up at her with his hands still supporting his Manectric. "Thanks," he smiled. "You too."

"I think the crowd enjoyed it," she chuckled as she looked at the people, some of who started to leave.

Alex laughed. "Yeah, I guess so."

Sarah smiled as she thought about it. She had ignored the fact that the people were watching and just focused on the battle. She realized that it made her more comfortable with it, and she actually enjoyed having the battle be watched.

Kyle walked up to them and smiled. "That was a great battle!" he said. "It was quick, but there were so many great attacks and they were displayed beautifully! Great job!"

"Thanks," Sarah and Alex said in unison.

"Well, thank you for letting me be the judge. I plan on becoming one soon, and thought this would be good practice."

"Oh, that's cool," Sarah said. "I bet you'll be a great one." Alex nodded in agreement.

"Thanks," Kyle said. "Well, I have to go. See ya later." He waved and started walking away.

"Bye!" the three humans waved. The trainers returned their attention to their pokemon.

Sarah held Saphira close and rubbed Ignitus's head gently. "You guys did great, I'm really proud of you," she said. Both pokemon thanked her.

"So did you guys," Alex said, gently hugging each of his dogs in his arms. "You're improving a lot." The dogs barked and licked his face while their tails wagged.

Sarah smiled. "Well, I think we should get these guys healed," she said.

Alex stood up after his pokemon stopped licking his face and agreed. He pulled a pokeball out of his pocket and recalled Din.

"He'll be able to rest in there because he's ok with pokeballs," Alex said. "I'll just make sure Padfoot can make it there out of his because he doesn't like them."

Sarah nodded. She looked at her Bagon and said, "I'll carry you there, Saphira." The pokemon nodded and closed her eyes.

Sarah turned to her Charmeleon. "Ignitus, can you walk there?" Because he was bigger now, she doubted she would be able to carry him, especially when she was already carrying Saphira.

Before the dragon could answer, Glaedr stepped forward and said, 'Ignitus, you can ride on my back and rest there.'

Ignitus perked up at the thought and said, 'Thanks, Glaedr!'

Glaedr nodded and stood still as Sarah and William helped him onto the large dragon. When Ignitus was sitting on the Tropius's back, they all headed for the streets outside of the beach.

When they got there, they walked down a sidewalk that stretched between a big space between the buildings. The city wasn't full of buildings; there were a few medium sized ones spread very far apart, along with some houses, leaving the city made up mostly of grassy ground. The water stretched on the far right, and they could see a row of outside markets on their far left.

Luckily, Sarah didn't need to get out her Pokenav. The Pokemon Center was in view far up ahead, so they all went that way.

She looked up at the blue sky and the white clouds above them. She looked farther up ahead and noticed that the clouds were very large and dark gray pretty close to the town. She guessed by the darkness of the clouds and how close they were that it would rain in town that night.

After about a minute, Sarah looked back down as she remembered something that happened during the battle. She slowed so that she was now walking next to Glaedr.

"Hey, Ignitus," Sarah said. The Charmeleon looked at her from the Tropius's back.

Sarah smiled. "You learned a new move during that battle didn't you?" Ignitus smiled and nodded.

Sarah thought back to the move, then asked, "Was it Iron Tail?"

'Yep,' Ignitus said with a look of pride.

Sarah patted his head gently. The dragon growled softly in delight. "You really are getting stronger." She looked at her other pokemon. "You all are." Each of them smiled at her, very pleased with the compliment. Alex watched with a smile.

It wasn't long before they reached the Center. It was two stories high, a bit taller than the other buildings. They all walked in.

The main room was big, and already pretty full of trainers, probably most of them from the ship they were just on.

Sarah looked around cautiously as they approached the counter. She really hoped Amanda wasn't here.

When they reached the reception desk, they saw three Nurse Joys there. Two stood waiting to help anyone who had pokemon to heal, and one was on a computer.

Sarah and Alex each went to one of the Nurses and requested healing for their pokemon, except for Rascal and Glaedr, as they were both fine. The Nurses agreed and brought the pokemon into the hospital behind them. The three humans and two pokemon stood close to the counter and waited.

"So, how long do you think you'll stay here?" Alex asked.

Sarah unconsciously rubbed Glaedr's side as she thought about it. She watched Williams talk to Rascal for a minute before saying, "Well, we'll probably stay here tonight and leave tomorrow." She looked at him. "What about you?"

Alex crossed his arms and thought about it. "I'm not sure. I might stick around here for a while, just for fun." Sarah nodded in understanding. She guessed he wanted to enjoy his journey as much as possible, just like she did.

After a few more minutes, they turned around when they heard the hospital's doors. Saphira and Ignitus came from around the counter and approached her as Padfoot ran to Alex with an uncontrollably wagging tail.

"Hey guys," Sarah said as she knelt down and hugged her two smaller pokemon. They hugged her back, looking completely refreshed.

"Hey, buddy!" Alex said as knelt down and scratched his dog pokemon's head. The Mightyena smothered his face with kisses, making Alex laugh and have to stand up to escape. As he did, he accepted Din's pokeball from the Nurse. "Thank you," he said.

"Yeah, thanks," Sarah added, now standing with her dragons by her side.

"No problem!" the two Nurses beamed in unison.

Alex enlarged the pokeball in his hand and wordlessly called out Din. The Manectric appeared in a beam of light and stood before his trainer. He first greeted Padfoot with a small bark, then sat down in front of his trainer. His face was calm, but his excitement was obvious by his vibrating tail.

"Hey, Din," Alex said fondly as he walked over to the dog. He scratched his pokemon's head, making him push his head farther into the hand to show how much he enjoyed the scratching.

Sarah smiled. When Din placed himself by Alex's side, she asked, "So, what are you gonna do now?"

"Well," Alex started, his eyes averted as he tried to think about it. "I guess I'll just get a room for tonight, then get some dinner." He looked at Sarah. "What about you? Are you gonna stay here tonight?"

Sarah was about to answer, until a loud rumble that sounded above them interrupted her. All their heads shot up, and they jumped at the loud noise. Ignitus was caught off guard and latched his arms around Sarah's waist and started shaking.

Sarah put a hand on the Charmeleon's head and looked out the glass doors. The sky was dark, and small droplets of water dotted them.

Sarah smiled and rubbed Ignitus's head. "It's ok buddy, it was just thunder." Ignitus stopped shaking, but kept his arms stayed latched around her waist.

Sarah looked back out the doors and frowned. _Ok, we're not gonna be able to stay outside tonight,_ she thought as the rain began to come down in great sheets. Then she remembered why they had been sleeping outside in the first place.

_Shoot. What is Glaedr gonna do?_

Sarah turned her head to her Tropius. "Um, Glaedr?" she said. He looked at her. "We can't go out in that… what are we gonna do? Like I said, Pokemon Centers don't have doors big enough for you to fit through, other than the front ones.

Glaedr turned to look at the torrent of water that came form the sky, then looked back at her. 'How do you think I survived when I was a wild pokemon?' he asked. 'I can protect and shelter myself.'

Sarah frowned. "Well, yeah, but I don't want you to go out in that unless you have to," she insisted. She knew that rain wasn't a big deal, but even for him, it could be hard to find shelter, and it might get too cold late at night.

Alex put a hand on his chin as he thought. He wanted to help with the problem, so he tried to think of something. He grinned when he got an idea.

"Hey, Sarah." She looked at him.

"Why don't you just ask if Glaedr can stay in the common room or the hospital?" he said.

Sarah smiled. "Hey, that's a good idea," she said. _I should have thought about that before, _she thought stupidly. She shrugged silently. _Oh well. There's really no point in staying inside unless we have to. Sleeping outside is fun. _

Sarah turned to Glaedr and asked, "What do you think? If they say you can, you want to stay?"

Glaedr didn't mind the thought of staying outside in a storm, but he seemed to like the other idea better. He nodded.

Although the problem wasn't big, Sarah felt relieved. "Good," she said.

Alex nodded, seeing that they were going to try it, then said, "I'm gonna get a room for me and my pokemon."

"Ok," Sarah said as he walked over. She was about to head over to the reception desk, until she remembered that Ignitus was still squeezing her. She chuckled and rubbed his head.

"It's ok, buddy." He looked at her. "It's just thunder, ok?" The Charmeleon paused, then nodded. He let go of her waist but quickly grabbed her hand in a paw. Sarah smiled and squeezed it to make him feel better. _Well, he's gotten over a lot of fears, but I guess he'll still always be afraid of something,_ Sarah thought with a smile. _It's ok though. I don't want him or any of my pokemon to change. _She headed over to the reception desk.

When she got there, one of the Nurses smiled and said, "Hello. How may I help you?"

"Hi," Sarah started. She paused to think of how to word it, then said, "I have a Tropius that doesn't like pokeballs, and I know he won't be able to go in a room with us." The Nurse nodded as she listened.

Sarah glanced above her own head at Glaedr, who stood behind her, then looked back and said, "I don't want him to go out in the storm, so can he just stay in the common room, or the hospital?"

Nurse Joy nodded. "Of course. We have that happen more than you think."

Sarah smiled with relief. "Thanks."

Nurse Joy nodded, then looked at Glaedr, who still stood behind Sarah. "He can stay in which ever he likes," she smiled.

Sarah nodded, then turned her head up to look at him. "Where do you want to stay?" she asked.

Glaedr looked down at her and said, 'The common room will be fine. That way, it will be easier for you to get me in the morning.'

Sarah nodded, then told the Nurse his choice.

"Ok," she agreed.

Sarah nodded. Now that she knew what Glaedr was going to do, she said, "Could I get a room for the rest of us?"

"Yes, of course," Nurse Joy said as she headed to a computer. She asked to see Sarah' trainer license, then went to a computer with it and typed a few things. A small drawer on it opened, and she pulled out a card key. She walked back over and returned Sarah's Pokedex and gave her the card.

"Thanks," Sarah said as she accepted them.

"Enjoy your stay," Nurse Joy said.

Sarah nodded and turned around. Alex approached her with a card key in his hand and said, "So, why don't we get some dinner?"

"Sure," Sarah agreed. The three humans and all the pokemon headed for the food counter, waited in line, and were able to sit at a table big enough for all of them.

"I hope the weather isn't like this tomorrow," Alex said during the meal.

Sarah nodded. "Yeah."

William smirked. "Why? This kind of weather is awesome!"

Sarah turned to him. "Yeah, it is, but we can't go anywhere in it."

William blinked. "Oh."

Sarah chuckled. He was jumping to excitement without thinking again.

The rest of the meal's conversation was mostly around a few small details about each of their gym battles.

When they were done, Alex said, "Well, I guess I'll get settled in my room." He held out a hand. "It was really good seeing you again, Sarah."

Sarah took his hand and shook it. "You too." Alex nodded and shook William's hand. He turned and headed for the stairs that led for the second floor with his pokemon following.

Sarah watched him go, then said, "We should get settled in our room, too." She turned to Glaedr and said, "Are you gonna be ok?"

He nodded, 'Of course.'

Sarah smiled and nodded. They all said goodnight to the large dragon, then headed up the stairs to their room.


	13. Rival Battle

Sarah didn't open her eyes as she felt herself awake. Instead, she let herself doze as she listened to the soft patter of the rain on the roof of the Pokemon Center.

After a few minutes, she finally opened her eyes. Everything was blurry, as she was only half awake. She blinked to clear her vision and looked out the window. The sky was dark gray and streaks of water ran down the glass. Because of the clouds, she couldn't tell what time it was. She figured it didn't matter because she was used to getting up early, so it couldn't be too late, and they couldn't go anywhere until the rain stopped anyway.

Sarah blinked again to try and wake herself up, then turned to her left to check on her Charmeleon. He lay next to her, still sleeping peacefully.

She turned to her right to check on her Bagon. She lay on top of Sarah's arm, still asleep.

Sarah felt to comfortable to bother waking everyone up. She closed her eyes restfully and started thinking about what they would do that day when-

"WHOOOAAA!!!!!!"

Sarah's eyes shot open and her stomach jumped when she heard a loud scream. Her body involuntarily swung to the right with shock, making her roll off the top bunk, taking Saphira with her.

Sarah landed on her back on the floor with a great thump, Saphira landing on her stomach. The small dragon was now fully awake, and standing on her trainer, looking around frantically to try and figure out what happened. The motion and the noise had woken Ignitus, so he was now looking down at his trainer from the bed. He looked worried, but his watering eyes showed that he was trying not to burst out laughing.

_Owww…_ Sarah groaned as her back and head pained her. Her eyes had closed when she hit the floor, but now she forced them open as she remembered that she heard a scream.

Ignoring her aches, she quickly got onto her feet, holding Saphira in her arms and looked around. Her pained head made everything a bit blurry, but she was able to see her brother in front of her, sitting on his bed with Rascal in his lap, a big smile on his face.

"William?" she asked. Her head finally processed that he was the one that screamed. "What happened!?"

"Rascal talked!!!"

Sarah blinked. _Huh…?_

William didn't seem perturbed by the fact that his sister had fallen off her bed and didn't know what he was talking about. Instead, he started rambling in an excited tone, "Rascal talked! Well, he could always talk, I just didn't understand him, but now I do, so really I just understood him and-"

"Ok, I get it!" Sarah said with frustration. She had been waving a hand at him to make him stop talking the whole time because the noise was making her head hurt. William stopped, but the smile didn't leave his face.

Sarah closed her eyes for a few seconds to wait for her head to stop hurting. When it did, she finally felt happy for her brother.

She opened her eyes, and managed a real smile. "You understood him huh?"

William nodded. "Yeah! He said 'Good Morning!'"

"That's good," Sarah said. She took a breath to calm herself form the excitement of the many things that had happened since she woke up.

William still sat there with a smile until he realized something. His face looked like he had just been hit by lightning, and he said, "Oh! You fell off the bed didn't you!? Are you ok?"

"Yeah."

William smirked. "Ok." He couldn't hold it in any longer, and burst out laughing. Rascal barked in humor along with his trainer while Saphira started chuckling in Sarah's arms. Ignitus, who had been holding back his laughter the whole time, now couldn't anymore and rolled around on the bed in hilarity.

Sarah couldn't resist; it was a painful incident, but when she thought about it, it was just too funny. She joined their laughter.

After a few hysterical seconds, the laughter finally stopped, many of them wiping tears out of their eyes.

"Ok," Sarah said through chuckles, "If everyone's done laughing at me, we should go check on Glaedr." Everyone agreed, smiles still on their faces.

After the siblings were dressed, they all made their way down to the mostly empty common room. They looked around and saw Glaedr awake and lying in a corner, waiting for them.

"Hi, Glaedr," Sarah said after they reached him. He stood up. "Did you sleep ok?"

Glaedr nodded. 'Yes, very well.'

"Good."

William appeared form behind Sarah with Rascal in his arms and blurted with an amused tone, "Hey Glaedr, guess what!? Sarah fell off her bed this morning!" He started laughing again as the three small pokemon chuckled.

Glaedr lifted a side of his mouth in an amused grin and looked at Sarah. 'I'm sorry I missed it,' he teased.

"I'm not," Sarah said, although she was trying not to laugh too. When they finally calmed down, they got their breakfast and ate at a table. Sarah couldn't help peeking around at the other people as she ate. She didn't see Alex, but she was mostly trying to make sure Amanda wasn't going to show up and talk to them. She tried not to think of it too much. She knew it was pointless to worry about something all the time.

When they were done, they stayed sitting, glancing at the torrent of rain outside. They all knew they had to stay until it stopped, so they just talked as they waited.

Sarah was watching the many droplets of water through the doors, wondering when it would stop. She turned to look at Ignitus, who sat in a chair next to her, and found him looking out the doors too. He looked calm, but there was a touch of fear in his eyes.

Sarah watched him. She felt bad that he was so scared of water, but knew it wasn't his fault because of the flame on his tail. Any pokemon that had fire on the outside of their body that couldn't be deliberately extinguished, like on a Quilava, couldn't get its flame wet. Very rarely, if the flame was put out, the pokemon would be fine, and sometimes could relight it. But most of the time, that pokemon would die.

As Sarah watched him, she wished she could do something. She frowned sympathetically as she thought about how hard it would be to be a pokemon with such a delicate way to die.

Just then, her eyes widened as she remembered something. _Wait a minute._ She frowned as she tried to remember. She shook her head with frustration. _Come on, I've read that book a million times… How can I forget?_

She turned to her brother. "Hey William, why don't we call mom? We haven't for a while."

"Yeah!" William said excitedly. He got out of his chair and picked up Rascal.

Sarah got out of hers as Saphira and Ignitus got out of theirs and Glaedr stood up.

They all headed over to a videophone. Sarah picked up Saphira, then turned to her brother.

"Ok William. You can tell mom anything you want, just don't tell her about Amanda, ok?"

William looked puzzled. "Why?"

"Because she's already worried about us all the time, and it won't help if she knows there's some person that hates me." Even though her mother didn't try to make them come home after the Team Aqua run in like they thought, Sarah didn't want Amanda to be added to the list of reasons why she might make them come home.

William paused, then nodded as he understood. "Ok."

Sarah nodded, and dialed their number. After a few seconds, Mrs. Ryder's beaming face came onto the screen.

"Sarah! William! How are you!?" She looked so happy to see them that Sarah thought she was going to cry.

"Hi, mom!" the siblings said in unison.

"Oh, it's so good to see you!" Mrs. Ryder said with a big smile. "Where are you?"

"The Pokemon Center in Slateport," Sarah answered.

"Oh, good!" She paused. "So that means you have… two badges now?"

"Yep," Sarah said, feeling proud.

"Wonderful," Mrs. Ryder smiled. She turned to William. "Hi honey! How are you?"

"I'm great mom!" William said with a big smile. "I heard Rascal talk this morning!" He continued before she could say anything. "And Sarah fell off her bed!"

"Oh, really?" Mrs. Ryder smiled. Sarah looked at William. "Can you just let that go?" she asked with a mix of frustration and playfulness.

"I can't. It's still funny," William smirked. Sarah rolled her eyes.

Mrs. Ryder chuckled at her children. She turned to Saphira.

"Hello, Saphira! Are you doing ok?" The Bagon smiled and nodded.

Mrs. Ryder nodded and looked at the Charmeleon who stood next to Sarah. She looked puzzled, then beamed. "Oh! Is that you Ignitus?" The dragon nodded.

"Oh, you evolved! That's great!" The Charmeleon scratched the back of his head and blushed.

Mrs. Ryder switched her gaze to the Tropius behind Sarah. "Hello, Glaedr. Are you doing well?" The dragon nodded with a smile.

Mrs. Ryder looked satisfied. "Well, it looks like you've been taking care of each other," she said.

"We have," Sarah reassured her.

"So," their mother started, "What else have you been doing?"

William wasted no time in telling her about the trips they had crossing the ocean and the fun they had swimming. Luckily, he left out what Sarah asked him to. When he was done, Sarah told her a bit about her Gym Battles, showed her the badges, and told her a little about the battle she had with Alex.

"My," Mrs. Ryder sighed. "You sure have done a lot. I'm glad you've been having fun."

"Yeah," Sarah nodded. They were just about to hang up when Sarah remembered the main reason she had called in the first place. "Hey mom?"

"Yes dear?"

"Could you send me my dragon book?"

"Oh, of course dear. Hold on, I'll go get it." She set the receiver down and disappeared from view.

William looked at his sister. "Why do you need your book?"

"I need to check something in it," Sarah answered. She left the book at home when she started her journey because she thought she might lose it, and didn't think she'd need it anyway. But she finally thought of something she read in it, but couldn't remember all of it, and wanted to check. It was also handy that videophones had a feature where you could send items back and forth between them. It was mostly used when trainers needed to transfer their Pokedexs to Professors for repairs or updates, but it could be used for other things, like what Sarah was doing.

It didn't take long for Mrs. Ryder to come into view again with a two-inch thick, hardcover book in hand.

"Here you are," she said as she pressed a button on her screen. A small drawer opened, and she set the book inside. After she closed it, she pressed a few more buttons, and they waited.

After a few seconds, a drawer on the group's screen opened with the book inside.

"Thanks," Sarah said as she received the book and closed the drawer.

"You're welcome."

"Well, we should go."

"Ok. Goodbye you two. I love you."

"We love you too," the siblings said together. They hung up the phone when the screen went blank.

Sarah now looked at the book in he free hand. The title was 'Dragons: The Sacred Creatures of the Pokemon World.' The cover was blue and covered in little pictures of almost every dragon pokemon in existence.

"So, what are you gonna look for?" William asked as he looked at the book's cover.

"I'm gonna find out something that'll help Ignitus," Sarah answered. She looked down at her Charmeleon. He looked at her and cocked his head in question.

Sarah chuckled. "You'll see." She headed back to their table with everyone following.

After they sat down, Sarah opened the book, Saphira sitting in her lap, watching. She had seen the book before, but didn't know what Sarah was looking for. As she scanned the table of contents, Ignitus and William peeked over at it, Rascal in William's lap, and Glaedr stayed lying next to them, but arched his neck in their direction out of curiosity.

Finally, Sarah's finger stopped on the chapter she was looking for: Keep the Fire Burning in Your Fire Dragon.

Sarah checked the page number and turned to it. Quite a few paragraphs of words and sections were on the two shown pages, and at the top of the first one was a picture of a fire-breathing Charizard.

"Cool!" William said with a big smile. Even though he had seen the picture quite a few times, all the great dragon pictures never stopped fascinating him. Sarah chuckled. She didn't blame him; she loved all the pictures too.

She glanced to her right at Ignitus to see his reaction. He was staring at the picture with an excited smile.

_It's gonna be so awesome when he can finally fly,_ Sarah thought as she remembered how much he wanted to grow wings. She returned her attention to the book and started reading.

As she read it, her memory of what it said came back. After a while, she didn't have to read it anymore because she remembered what it said, but scanned it anyway, just to be sure.

"Ok," Sarah said when she was done. She closed the book and looked at her Charmeleon. Everyone was now looking at Sarah to find out why she had read that part of the book.

Sarah paused to make sure she worded it right. "I know you're scared of water," she started. Ignitus looked aside for a second, as if slightly embarrassed, but looked back at his trainer as she continued.

Sarah waited until he looked back at her before continuing. "And I know it's because of the flame on your tail. But I can help with that." Ignitus perked up.

"It says in here that the flame on a pokemon can only be extinguished if it is immersed in water for to long," Sarah started, making sure he understood. Everyone was listening intently.

Sarah paused, then said, "But it says if you ever do end up with your tail in water, all you have to do is concentrate, and the flame won't go out." Ignitus cocked his head at his trainer. He looked puzzled, but his eyes showed relieved excitement.

Sarah continued, being very patient as she talked to her pokemon. "Just try to keep your thoughts and power on your tail and the flame won't go out. It also helps if you train hard and make yourself a strong pokemon. Then it will be easier."

Ignitus averted his eyes and lifted an eyebrow as he considered the words and made sure he understood them. When he did, he looked back at Sarah with a smile, jumped out of his chair and hugged her around the waist. 'Thanks!'

Sarah smiled. "You're welcome," she said as she rubbed the top of his head. Saphira and Glaedr smiled with pride at their trainer.

William smiled and was about to ask a question, but looked out the Pokemon Centers front doors. The rain had stopped, and the sky was beginning to clear.

"Hey, Sarah! The rain stopped!" he said excitedly as he looked at her. Saphira and Glaedr looked out the doors.

After they parted from their hug, Sarah and Ignitus looked out the doors. Ignitus did a small jump for joy.

William looked at his sister excitedly, almost squirming in his seat. "Can we go now?"

Sarah laughed at her brother's reaction, then got out her Pokenav. She turned it on and pulled up the map, and checked the route that would take them to Mauville City. As she checked its length, she realized that it would take quite a while to get there.

"Well, this is gonna be a long route," she said to everyone as she continued to map it. She paused, then said, "If we go fast, we might be able to make it there before tonight, but it will take all day."

That comment didn't seem to faze William. He actually looked even more excited. "Alright! Let's go!"

Sarah shook her head with amusement. She should've known that it wouldn't bother him.

When she was sure she knew where to go, Sarah turned her Pokenav off, put it away, then said, "Ok, let's go."

As soon as she did, William jumped out of his chair, Rascal still in his arms, threw his backpack on his back, and ran halfway to the door, Ignitus following. Sarah shook her head with amusement as Saphira jumped off her lap and stood next to Glaedr. Sarah got out of her chair and got her bag as Glaedr smirked at his trainers brother, then stood up.

After Sarah put her bag on her back, she turned to the two dragons and told them to wait by William. As they walked over to him, Sarah headed to the reception desk to return their room's card key. She thanked the Nurse for the room, handed over the key, and headed over to her brother and pokemon.

As they walked outside, they were greeted by the fresh scent that always came after a storm. They all closed their eyes and breathed in the aroma, letting it make them feel alive. The grass around them was covered in little water droplets. There was a gentle breeze blowing across the now blue sky as the sun beat gently down on them.

_Wow…_ Sarah thought after she opened her eyes, _I hope it stays this nice all day._

Finally, she headed over to a Pokemart with everyone following. They got some food because they knew they'd be on the road all day, then headed for the other side of town. It only took a minute for them to leave the town's limits and come onto an open route.

After a few minutes, they came upon a separation in the trail. Sarah knew that the paved one on the right led to the cycling road. Since they didn't have bikes, they went straight, onto the now grass-covered route.

After a few minutes, they stopped and looked as they saw the route change. It was still grass covered, but instead of just leading on land, it was now stretching and curving across a lake, water on both sides.

"Cool!" William said as he ran to the edge of the water. The trail dropped about a foot before it hit the water, so he kneeled down next to it. He looked at his reflection as Rascal did the same next to him with a wagging tail.

Sarah stood and watched patiently. As she did, she was surprised to see Ignitus walk slowly over to William and stand next to him.

The red dragon peeked his head over the edge and looked at his reflection. He was a little nervous, but he seemed to have less fear than he usually did. Sarah watched, wondering what he would do.

He hesitated, then knelt down by the edge, keeping his eyes on the water. He lowered his nose until it was a few inches above the still lake, then reached a paw to it. He touched it with a claw, watching the tiny ripples spread across the surface. His chest started to fill with anxiety, but he made himself remember what Sarah said. He paused, then put his whole paw in it.

As the cool liquid covered his fingers, Ignitus beamed and growled with excitement. His anxiety disappeared as he swished the water around, disintegrating his reflection. He found that he liked the water; he would still be cautious around it, but his biggest fear was gone.

Satisfied, he pulled his paw put of the water and stared until it calmed and he was able to see himself again. When he did, he smiled, got up and walked back over to Sarah.

Sarah beamed with pride at the dragon_. I guess he's not scared of water anymore,_ Sarah thought with great relief. The red dragon smiled at her and put up two claws in a V shape. Sarah chuckled, reached out her hand and rubbed his head, making him hum in delight. Glaedr and Saphira exchanged happy glances as they realized what Ignitus had accomplished.

William got up and walked over to them with Rascal following. As soon as Sarah removed her hand from Ignitus's head, William patted the dragon's head and said, "I'm glad you like water now, buddy." He smiled and removed his hand. The dragon looked at him and nodded.

Proud of her Charmeleon, Sarah continued down the trail with everyone following.

As they walked, Ignitus started running ahead of them. He remembered what Sarah said about being able to keep his tail flame lit easier if he was a strong pokemon.

When he was a few feet ahead, he rolled forward and did a perfect summersault, landing back on his feet. He smiled with pride. Everyone laughed fondly.

Feeling energetic, he put his arms in the air and started rolling on the side, trying to do a cartwheel.

Unfortunately, he never did one before, so he ended up landing on his head, rolling forward and landing on his stomach. Everyone burst out laughing.

Sarah forced her chuckling to subside before walking up to him and saying with a smile, "Hey buddy, you ok?"

Ignitus got onto his hands and knees, shook his head to clear it, then stood up. He looked at his trainer and nodded, scratching the back of his head. Sarah nodded, and they continued walking, William still giggling.

As the day went on, the grass dried under the heat of the sun, but the temperature was bearable. They stopped at lunch to eat and rest, then continued down the trail. William started teaching Ignitus and Rascal how to play I Spy, and soon they were playing it. William would get excited every time he was able to understand what Rascal said. After a minute, Sarah had to join because William couldn't understand Ignitus. She liked the game anyway, so she didn't mind. Everyone decided to play, so Sarah had to translate for her dragons. It made guessing take a little longer, but it was a lot of fun.

In about late afternoon, they stopped playing and just enjoyed the walk.

After a little while, Glaedr, who was walking next to them, stopped. His neck tensed and his eyes opened wide. He paused, then swiftly swung his head behind him.

Sarah noticed his hesitation and stopped. As she did, everyone else stopped, and they all looked at him.

"Glaedr?" Sarah asked, slightly frowning with confusion. "Why did you stop?" He kept his gaze behind him and his lip started to curl.

As soon as it did, Sarah turned her head in his direction to see what he was looking at.

A few yards back, she could see someone walking toward them. It only took a second for her to recognize Amanda.

_Oh come on, _Sarah thought with a sigh of frustration. _What does she want?_ Saphira let a soft growl escape her lips, then stood still, glaring at the girl that approached them. Ignitus's eyebrows were furrowed angrily, and William just looked mad. Glaedr turned to face her and kept his lip curled in disgust.

Sarah tried to calm down as she reminded herself that this was the route to Mauville, and Amanda was probably just on her way there and wasn't trying to bother them.

Trying to get away, Sarah turned back around and said, "Let's just go." She was about to start walking, but stopped in her tracks as she heard Amanda yell.

"Hey, Ryder!" the girl yelled in a challenging tone.

Sarah closed her eyes and stopped in her tracks. She became frustrated as she realized that Amanda did want to bother them.

Figuring that she wouldn't be allowed to walk away, Sarah turned and faced her. She folded her arms as Amanda approached. William picked up Rascal and stood next to his sister, slightly nervous but mostly annoyed. Saphira placed herself in front of Sarah, trying to keep herself calm. Ignitus stood by Sarah's side. He was a little nervous, but tried to stay calm, knowing his trainer could handle whatever Amanda wanted. Glaedr stood on Sarah's other side. His lip was no longer curled, but he kept his eyes on Amanda, ready to act should she threaten his trainer.

When Amanda finally reached them, she stood a few feet away, seeming to know that, because of the way the dragons were looking at her, she had to keep a distance.

"So," she said as she folded her arms because Kain was in his pokeball. Even though she was being smart enough to keep away from the dragons, she didn't look scared at all. She just stared at Sarah with a look of disgust.

"So," Sarah repeated, unable to stop herself from returning the stare. Anger started to rise in her chest at the sight of the person who hated her for no reason. She paused, then said with a hint of anger, "What do you want?"

Amanda rolled her eyes. "Wow, you're stupid," she said accusingly. Glaedr let a small warning growl.

The girl ignored it and continued. "I told you before, you owe be a battle."

Sarah tried not to get any more frustrated than she already was. "I don't _owe_ you _anything_," she said through almost clenched teeth.

Amanda smirked. "So you're scared?"

Sarah returned the smirk. "No"

"Then battle me."

Sarah shifted her eyes and looked down at Saphira. The small dragon turned her head and looked at her trainer. After an unspoken consent, Sarah returned her attention to the girl and said, "Fine."

"Good," Amanda said rudely. She turned around and walked until she was about ten feet away. She turned back around and pulled a pokeball out of her pocket. She gently and wordlessly tossed it in front of her, and her Dratini, Kain appeared from within it. He squeaked in a challenging way and immediately fixed his glare on Saphira. The Bagon returned the glare, curling a lip.

After Amanda caught the pokeball that flew back into her hand, she folded her arms and said, "One on one battle. Pick somebody."

Sarah tried to calm her rising anger at the girl's tone. She considered her choice, then looked down at her Bagon. She was glaring at the Dratini, clearly wishing to challenge him.

Sarah didn't want to lose this battle; not against Amanda. She knew that all of her pokemon would do great, but Saphira seemed like she was Kain's rival just as much as Amanda was hers.

Her decision made, Sarah unfolded her arms and said, "Saphira, go." The Bagon walked a few feet ahead and placed herself in front of her enemy. The two dragons glared, both showing teeth and stifling growls.

Just then, Sarah realized that there wasn't a judge, who would usually say when the battle started. She wasn't worried though; even though Pokemon Gyms and the Elite Four used judges, they were not required for trainer battles. Sarah just happened to have a judge when she battled Alex because someone came out of the crowd and offered.

Because of this, each trainer had to wait until one of them made the first move. William, who was holding Rascal, stood next to Glaedr, feeling a bit scared at the thought of his sister battling Amanda. Glaedr just watched, hoping that they would win. Ignitus stood next to him, watching nervously.

After a few seconds, Amanda swiftly waved her hand and shouted, "Kain, Water Gun!"

As soon as the attack was called, Sarah shouted, "Saphira, Dragonbreath!"

At his trainer's command, the Dratini opened his mouth and released a powerful stream of water at his opponent.

At the same time, Saphira opened her maw and shot an electric blue stream at her enemy. The attacks didn't make it past each other, and collided in midair. There was a small explosion as the attacks made contact, and smoke wafted around the area.

"Headbutt!" Sarah shouted.

"Double-Edge!" Amanda yelled.

The two opposing dragons charged at each other, both determined to defeat their enemy. When they made contact, Saphira's head collided with Kain's tail, making them both fly back at the hard hit. The small dragons landed on their backs, then struggled to get up. Saphira finally managed to get on her feet and glared after the Dratini. Kain got himself upright and growled at the opposing Bagon.

Sarah breathed quickly as she was more and more determined to win. "Dragonbreath!" she shouted.

Saphira snorted smoke out her nose, her small paws clenched, then released the attack. Without being told, Kain rolled to the side, dodging the attack, then jumped into the water. Amanda smiled aggressively.

Saphira stopped her attack when she saw her enemy fall into the water, then fixed her gaze on the spot he had entered it. Her eyes darted back and forth as she tried to see him and figure out where he would emerge.

After a few seconds, a strong spray of water burst out to the left of where Kain dove in. It flew at Saphira and hit her stomach, as she had no time to react.

The Bagon flew backwards, then landed on her back. The water had stopped coming, so she stood up quickly, trying to be ready for another attack. But just as she did, she found that Kain was already out of the water, and coming at her with a Double-Edge. He hit her in the stomach with great force, sending her farther back, and rolling onto her side.

Sarah's fists clenched angrily. She watched as her pokemon got back onto her feet. She was trying to think of what they could do to have an advantage over Kain being able to attack from underwater.

But before she could call a command, Amanda shouted, "Thunderbolt!"

Kain's body briefly glowed a bright yellow, then he shot an electric bolt at Saphira. As it engulfed her body, she roared in agony. The water Gun attack that she had received left her wet, doubling the intensity of the electric attack.

Sarah's stomach jolted with sympathy as she heard the Bagon's pained cry. Trying to see if the attack could be pushed back, she shouted, "Dragonbreath!"

Saphira heard the command, but couldn't attack. She tried, but the electricity was too powerful and she couldn't move.

Sarah watched, her stomach feeling sick as the roar continued. She started to panic as Saphira didn't fight back. After a second, she finally realized that it was because she couldn't.

Sarah desperately didn't want to lose, but she knew that if she didn't do something, Saphira could be seriously injured. She was a strong pokemon, but if she couldn't fight back, they couldn't keep battling. Sarah knew that Amanda didn't care what would happen to Saphira; she would do whatever it took to win.

Deciding it wasn't worth it, Sarah shouted, "Stop!" She waved her hands frantically. "I give up! You win! Stop!"

Amanda glared at her. She waited a second more before saying, "Kain, stop!"

Once he did, Sarah looked at her dragon, her heart beating quickly. Saphira eyes were tightly closed as she winced form the hard attack she had endured. She finally fell forward and onto her stomach.

Sarah ran to her and knelt down. She picked her up and held her in her arms carefully.

"You ok?" Sarah asked softly. Her chest hurt as she worried about the condition of her dragon.

Saphira cracked open her eyes and looked at her trainer. 'Yes.'

Sarah wasn't sure if she really was ok, but believed her dragon and looked up at Amanda. The girl was smiling with vicious pride as she recalled her pokemon.

After the Dratini was recalled, Amanda looked at Sarah with a rude grin. "See? I _am_ better than you." She chuckled. "And it didn't take long to prove it either."

Sarah's eyebrows furrowed with annoyance and anger. She stood up and glared at Amanda. "Just because you won a battle doesn't mean you're better than me," she said with exasperation.

Amanda smirked. "Oh really?" she said in a sarcastic tone. "Because last time I checked, if you beat a trainer in battle, you're better than them."

Sarah felt shocked. She couldn't believe that anyone thought that way about pokemon training. Yes, it was true that you had to try to prove you were the best by winning battles; but Amanda wasn't trying to prove that she was the best at battling. She was trying to prove that she was better than everyone.

Sarah sighed and tried not to shake her head. "Then you have the wrong idea of what it means to be a pokemon trainer."

Amanda rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She turned in the direction she came and started walking away. "I can't wait until we battle again," she said without turning her head.

Sarah just stood there and watched. _I can't believe that…_ she thought, still angry. She shook her head. _I'm never going to understand why she feels that way._

She looked down as she heard something. Saphira's eyes were open and she was looking up at her trainer.

'I'm sorry…' she said with a hint of guilt. 'I could have fought better.' She looked ashamed. 'We didn't have to lose.'

Sarah immediately shook her head. "No. You did great." She paused. "I'm the one who should be sorry for not stopping the battle sooner."

Saphira shook her tired head. 'No. You wanted to be sure that I couldn't fight.'

Sarah smiled. She loved that their deep friendship made it easy to understand and forgive each other.

Satisfied, Sarah turned to face the group. She didn't feel angry anymore; she only felt proud of how well her pokemon battled.

William walked up to her with Rascal in his arms, Ignitus and Glaedr next to him.

"Is she ok?" William asked with concern. They all looked at Saphira nervously; they knew the last attack was a big one.

Sarah nodded with a reassuring smile. "Yeah, she's fine."

William and Ignitus sighed with relief. Glaedr smiled.

Sarah nodded. "Let's go." She started walking down the trail, everyone next to her.

As they walked, Sarah couldn't help thinking about the battle.

_Well, that was my first loss…_ she thought. She frowned with a little frustration. _And it was against Amanda. Why did it have to be against her?_

Sarah shook her head and got rid of the thought. _It doesn't matter. I'm gonna lose sometimes, and it doesn't matter to who, as long as we do our best. _She smiled, satisfied with the thought. No one tried to ask her about the battle, so they didn't talk about it.

The rest of the day was spent covering as much distance as possible. Saphira was feeling better after a while, but Sarah continued carrying her. They played I spy and some other small games to help the time go by, enjoying the day as they forgot about what happened during the battle.

Sarah really wanted to get Saphira to a Pokemon Center, but as she calculated how far they had gone, she realized that, even if they didn't stop, they wouldn't make it to Mauville tonight. The day was long, and everyone was tired. She tried not to worry about it, knowing that she would be fine after a good night's sleep.

Finally, Sarah said it was time to stop for the night. Sunset was still a couple of hours away, so the sky was still bright.

They all settled in a spot on the side of the trail, a few feet away from the water. They didn't bother with a fire because there were not trees around, so there was no wood, and they didn't need one anyway.

Before they knew it, it was starting to get dark. After the siblings got into their pajamas and set up their sleeping bags, everyone got comfortable.

After everyone else fell asleep, Sarah still lay awake, looking up at the stars, lost in thought.

Why would Amanda think that being better than other people is what being a pokemon trainer means? she thought, frowning with confusion. She shifted a bit to get more comfortable.

And, why does she hate me? Sarah looked away from the sky for a second as she thought. She couldn't figure it out, so she looked back up to the stars.

Just then, Sarah almost jumped as she felt a small paw touch her arm. She looked down and found Saphira awake and looking at her.

"What?" Sarah whispered.

'Do not let what Amanda said bother you.'

Sarah blinked. She was about to ask how she knew, but stopped as she reminded herself that Saphira could usually tell what she was thinking.

Sarah looked back up at they sky. "Well… Doesn't it bother you that she thinks that way?" Sarah asked. She looked back down at her dragon.

Saphira thought about it for a second, then said, 'Yes, but we shouldn't worry about it.' She paused. 'We can't do anything about it, except be careful when she comes to us.'

Sarah wasn't sure if she was satisfied with the answer, but knew she was right. She sighed, then nodded. "Ok."

Saphira nodded. 'Good.' She got more comfortable. 'Goodnight.'

Sarah looked back up at the sky. "Goodnight." She still wanted to know why Amanda thought that way, but convinced herself that Saphira was right.

She pushed the thought aside, then fell into a restful sleep.

- - - - -

I realized that I forgot to put Drake's Salamence's name in the pronunciation. Here it is, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Irador- Ear-a-door


	14. Surprises Are Always Around The Corner

The next morning was spent like most others. Sarah asked Saphira if she was feeling ok, considering the battle she had endured the day before, and because they weren't able to get to a Pokemon Center. The Bagon said she felt just fine, so they woke the others and followed their routine before getting back on the trail to Mauville.

As they walked, William started a game of I Spy, which everyone took a part in. The simplicity of small games gave them a chance to have fun together, and they all enjoyed it.

Sarah smiled as she watched her brother try to figure out what Ignitus was spying. He kept looking around frantically, a big smile on his face, and guessing everything in sight. Because the Charmeleon didn't need Sarah to translate for him, as he only had to shake or nod his head in answer, Sarah's mind drifted into thoughts of the previous day.

As she thought of the battle she had against Amanda, the girl's words came back into her head. True that Sarah had come to terms with the loss, and was no longer angry because they had tried their best. But what she still wanted to know, despite Saphira's words, was why someone would use pokemon training as a way to prove their superiority over others, in a way that had nothing to do with being a good trainer.

Sarah stared blankly at the ground in front of her, briefly shifting the bag on her shoulders. _So… she only wants to battle people to prove she's better than them, not that she's a better trainer…_ Sarah thought. Her face scrunched in a frown. Her eyes glanced to the side as she heard her brother get frustrated in humor as he still couldn't figure out what Ignitus was spying.

Saphira, who was standing on Sarah's shoulder, was watching her trainer's face. As she saw a frown come to it, she said, 'Is there something bothering you?'

Sarah was a bit startled as she was brought out of her thoughts. She looked at the Bagon and said, "Not really." She briefly scratched the back of her head before saying, "I was just thinking about what happened with Amanda yesterday." She put up both of her hands and said quickly, "But I'm not mad that we lost." Saphira nodded in understanding, so Sarah put her hands down. She paused, then continued. "I was just thinking about what she said." She felt bad for thinking about it when Saphira told her not to worry about it, so she said, "But we already talked about it, so it's fine. It's just gonna come to my mind once in a while." She wanted to make sure that Saphira knew it wasn't a big deal.

Saphira paused. She smiled, then nodded. 'Ok. …And I know it might be hard, but let's try to be nice to her when we see her again.'

Sarah looked away and almost wanted to groan, but stopped. She shook her head at herself. _Come on Sarah. You're not the type to want to be mean to people. She's right._ It didn't matter if it was hard or not; Sarah always wanted to be nice to people. It was just hard to be nice to someone who hated her from the moment they met her.

With that in mind, Sarah looked back at Saphira and nodded. "Ok."

Saphira smiled and nodded back. 'Then it is fine.' Sarah looked back at her destination.

'But…'Saphira started, making Sarah return her attention to the Bagon.

Saphira smiled. 'About the battle… I just want to let you know that I'm going to be stronger from now on.'

Sarah frowned in confusion at the sudden comment. _What does she mean by that? Does she still feel guilty?_

Before she could ask, the Bagon looked over to the other group and said, 'Your tail flame.' Ignitus let a happy growl and nodded.

"Awww man!" William jokingly whined. He looked down at the Charmeleon. "Saphira got it?" Ignitus nodded.

William immediately looked at his sister. "What was it!?" he asked, anxious to know what the answer was. He still couldn't understand Saphira, so he waited for Sarah to translate.

Sarah looked at him. She forgot about Saphira's comment momentarily and said, "His tail flame."

William smacked his forehead. "Oh, geez!" He shook his head, although he had a big smile on his face. "That should have been obvious!" Ignitus put his paws to his mouth and laughed at William's actions. Glaedr just smiled fondly.

Sarah smiled at her brother's reaction. She turned to Saphira and said, "Well, I guess that means it's your turn." She decided not to ask her if she still felt guilty. _I'll ask her later._

Saphira nodded, then jumped off Sarah's shoulder and landed in front of them. They all stopped and looked at her.

The Bagon put a paw on her chin and tapped it, pretending to think hard. 'Hmmm… I spy something…' She pointed at something behind them. 'Over there.'

They all automatically turned their heads to look. There were trees in the distance across the lake, but that was about it.

"Uh…" Sarah chuckled. She turned her head back to the Bagon as she said, "You're gonna have to be more specifi…" She stopped, and her heart jumped.

Saphira was glowing.

They were all now watching the dragon, each with different expressions. Ignitus had a big smile on his face, and he watched excitedly, and Rascal just wagged his tail. William's mouth was hanging open, and his eyes were wide. Glaedr's eyes were shining with joy, a big smile on his face.

Sarah just stood there as Saphira's glowing body began to change shape. She didn't notice anything around her, only the dragon in front of her, not able to believe her eyes.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the glow around the dragon faded.

Saphira evolved into a Shelgon. Her body was now round and lite gray, shaped with ridges all around. Her face was black, her eyes, which were closed, in the middle. She now had four short, gray legs, with lines of red on the back. Her height was now level to Sarah's hip.

Saphira stood still for a minute, then opened her eyes, and looked straight into Sarah's.

As Sarah looked at the newly evolved dragon, her eyes filled with tears. Her mind could barely process that what she was seeing was real; her best friend, her first dragon that she raised since it was an egg, had just evolved, and came one step closer to her dream of flying. Even as she looked at the dragon that now had a very different exterior, she could still see her old friend as she looked into her eyes.

Sarah stared in overjoyed disbelief. _I… can't believe it…_ Her vision blurred as the tears filled her eyes. She blinked, clearing her vision and sending the tears down her cheeks.

Finally, she took a small breath, and said quietly, "Saphira…?" The Shelgon blinked, then started walking toward her trainer.

As the dragon neared her, Sarah knelt down, blinking more tears of joy. Saphira now stood in front of her. Although her mouth was not very visible, there was smile in her eyes.

Sarah smiled broadly. With her heartbeat sounding in her ears, she reached a hand out. She hesitated, then put it on the Shelgon's head. She gently rubbed it, feeling the hard shell as her hand rubbed smoothly over the ridges.

Sarah kept her hand on the dragon, but looked back into her eyes. She tried to say something, but the lump in her throat would only let her smile.

Saphira blinked, then said, 'I hope this makes me stronger.'

Sarah managed a small chuckle. _So that's what she meant._

Just then, everyone came up next to Sarah to admire the newly evolved dragon. William knelt down, a big smile on his face, and a few of his own small tears stained on his cheeks. Even though Saphira was Sarah's pokemon, she was a big part of the family, and William was just as happy for her as Sarah was. Rascal just watched his friend, his tail vibrating.

However, despite his joy, William's curiosity made him take an experimental finger and tap the Shelgon's head. He hesitated, then rubbed her head like Sarah had. As he felt the ridges on her shell, he finally said, "Cool…"

After William removed his hand, Ignitus came up to Saphira excitedly, and patted her head with a paw, a big smile on his face. 'We're both getting close to getting wings!' he said. Saphira nodded, the smile in her eyes as big as the one on his face.

After Ignitus slightly backed away, Saphira looked up at Glaedr, who was looking down at her with a smile that refused to fade. He didn't say anything, but was able to relay his joy to her with his eyes.

Finally, Sarah briefly wiped her eyes with her sleeve, then stood up. She was finally able to believe that Saphira evolved. The lump in her throat was gone, but she still couldn't think of anything to say. But as she looked at her, she realized that she didn't have to. By an unspoken consent, she knew that Saphira didn't think she had to say anything; seeing her trainer's overjoyed actions was enough.

With that in mind, Sarah headed back down the trail with Saphira next to her, everyone else following close behind.

As they walked, Sarah found herself constantly glancing at the Shelgon, although the dragon was unaware of it. Every time she did, a small smile would tug at her lips. She could still feel her heart beating at a slightly faster pace, as the shock and joy still hadn't gone away yet.

It made her realize just how fast things can happen, and how fast they can change. The morning had started off normally, then quickly turned into a day that she would never forget. She was a bit surprised as the thought scared her, now knowing how fast something can change. But she pushed it away as she realized that change wasn't something to fear, especially this change.

She glanced down at the dragon one more time, finding that this time she was looking back at her with a smile shining in her eyes. The small smile that was tugging at Sarah's lips turned into a wide grin as she looked back at her.

_Things usually change for the better._ Yeah, she would make sure she remembered that.

- - - - -

Despite the surprising event, the day still had to go on. William seemed to be full of more energy, if that was possible, and expressed it through a game of I Spy, that he insisted everyone play. Sarah agreed to play, but chuckled inwardly. It seemed that he would never tire of that game.

Luckily, it was only a couple of hours went by when Mauville City came into view.

The ground they walked on changed from bright green grass to a lite gray, cement path that stretched through the middle of the town. They passed a few small houses that were placed on each side of the path, the Pokemon Center in view about one hundred yards ahead.

As they neared the center, the path split in two, and stretched from left to right. The right led to the Pokemart, which was placed not far from the Center, and continued until it turned into a grass path, leading down a trail that couldn't be seen from their current position. The left led to the Pokemon Gym, which was placed on the other side of a cement path, leading upwards to Route 111. To the left past the Pokemon Gym was Route 117, leading to another town.

The group took in the sights silently. It seemed a bit strange since William usually got excited when they got to a new place, but he seemed to be enjoying the sight without saying anything. Sarah didn't mind when he got excited, but she was glad he was being quiet.

When they reached the Pokemon Center, they saw that it was an average height, which was two stories, with the classic red roof. Without much thought, they walked inside.

When they entered the common room, the sound of many conversations flowed through the room. Because it was the middle of the day, it was bustling with people and pokemon. Some were eating at one of the numerous tables that were set up on the sides of the room, and some were having casual conversations while standing in various places.

Sarah stood near the entrance as she tried to decide what they were going to do. They automatically checked the Pokemon Center every time they reached a new city, but she couldn't think of any reason to be there right now. The pokemon didn't need healing, and she didn't plan on reserving a room for them to use; the weather was going to be nice, so they were going to camp with Glaedr that night.

However, her mind was made up for her as she heard William say, "I'm hungry."

Sarah looked at her brother and chuckled. She should have realized that they would want to eat, since it was a little after noon.

Although she didn't feel particularly hungry, she nodded and said, "Well, let's go then."

After getting their food and finding a table with enough room for all six of them, they sat down and enjoyed the meal and the time.

Sarah wasn't surprised as William started making comments about the new town. He didn't say anything when they got there, so she knew he would have to at some point. Sarah was only half listening, as she absentmindedly rolled her apple around on the table, while stealing glances at Saphira. The Shelgon was eating her food on the floor by Glaedr, unaware of her trainer's gaze. She just couldn't help but look at the dragon, her joy, and a bit of the shock, still lingering. But, she knew she would have to stop staring, so she finally pulled her eyes away.

Instead, she answered the questions that William started asking her. He asked where the three routes led to, and, after checking her Pokenav, Sarah told him their names and where they went. He seemed satisfied with her answers, and went back to his meal.

Sarah temporarily ignored her own food as she looked at her map a little longer. Thanks to her short study session in Dewford, she remembered where each badge was, and was curious to see what their route would be after she got the one in Mauville.

First, she zoomed in on Route 111, which led to Lavaridge town. She wasn't surprised to see that it would take about a day's travel to get there. After bringing the picture back to the full sized map, she remembered that, after getting the badge in Lavaridge town, she would have to go back to Petalburg to fight her dad. Her first feeling was a bit of nervousness, making her stomach feel a bit queasy. But the thought of having an official battle with him and seeing him again brought a smile to her face.

However, the thought made her realize that she had to go back to Petalburg. She now concentrated on the map and followed the routes with her eyes. She silently groaned. True, that she enjoyed traveling, and she wanted her journey to be as long as possible, but the thought of going that far back just didn't sound like much fun. It would take about a week to get there, and she knew her nervousness would build the entire way.

_But, I can't worry about it now, she thought._ She shut the Pokenav off and put it in her pocket. _Just have fun. _

Now that she was out of her thoughts and back to what was round her, Sarah noticed that everyone was almost done eating. It made her realize that she hadn't touched her food, (unless you counted rolling her apple around on the table) and decided to eat so they wouldn't be stuck there any longer than they needed to be.

Before long, they were all finished. They sat together for a few minutes to discuss what they would do for the rest of the day.

"Why don't we look around for a good place to camp tonight?" William suggested. He seemed eager to get out of the building and back to their fun.

Sarah nodded. "Ok. And we should probably have a training session after that." She glanced at her dragons. "Gotta be ready to fight Wattson."

"Sweet!' William exclaimed. "Time to see Saphira fight!"

Sarah chuckled. She was excited to see Saphira in battle too. She also had to be prepared to fight a little differently because her form had changed so much. With Ignitus's evolution, there wasn't much to worry about, considering that the biggest change was that he was a little bigger. But Saphira had a body completely different from her previous form. Shelgons were in a state almost like a cocoon, waiting to grow, then evolve into a much larger, winged dragon. Her battle movements would be slower, but would be made up for with her protective shell. A new battle style would have to be established.

With that in mind, Sarah stood up. "Well, are we ready to go?"

William jumped up right away. "Yeah!" He was soon followed as their pokemon got up and prepared to go. Sarah nodded, and led the way to the door.

A slightly warmer breeze than when they had arrived greeted them. The sun was higher in the sky, the rays beating down on them gently, leaving the day looking beautiful.

After taking a breath of the fresh air, Sarah looked around. They could either go to the right, toward Route 117, or to the left, toward Route 118. Sarah thought back to what her Pokenav said, and remembered that Route 118 led to a path, eventually leading to a small clump of trees, and turning into a small lake. She decided to go to that route, thinking it would be a good training and camping spot.

Just before she started heading that way, she turned her head toward the path right ahead of them as she heard a loud noise. Everyone else looked as they heard the noise, and saw a large tractor, equipped with a digging claw. The diesel engine sounded loudly as it approached them.

After it reached the end of the path right in front of the Pokemon Center, it turned toward 117, picking up another gear and increasing speed. It only took a minute for it to enter the route, then travel down so the sound was almost inaudible to their ears.

Sarah didn't think a lot of the machine, but was still curious of what it was for. "What was that?"

"That was a piece of construction equipment."

Sarah spun around as she heard a voice behind her. She was aware of a small, startled yelp from her brother, as he wasn't aware of the person either. He eyes met a young man, appearing to be about 16.

Sarah blinked and regained herself after the temporary scare. She faced the boy and said, "What is it for?"

The boy frowned a bit. "Haven't you heard? They're making a shortcut between Verdanturf Town and Rustboro City." He took a few steps forward so he was standing in front of her. "It makes it easier for pokemon trainers to travel."

Sarah was a little confused. She had never been to Verdanturf, and hadn't heard much about it, so she didn't know why they would need big machines to make a trail.

Deciding that this person could be a good source of information, she asked, "What kind of shortcut?"

"Well," the young man started, "There's a mountain over by Verdanturf. It stretches to the west and ends over by Rustboro. The Devon Company figured it would be a good idea to create a route through the mountain, making it easier for trainers to travel on their journeys."

Sarah considered the words. She pictured her Hoenn map in her head, finding it somewhat easy because she had just been looking at it not long ago. She realized that, if it was done before she got her next two badges, traveling back to battle her dad would take a lot less time.

Sarah looked back up at the young man. "When will it be done?"

He moved his eyes away as he thought about it. He looked back at her and said, "Well, they said it would take about ten days, and that was three days ago. If all goes well, it'll be done in a week."

Sarah nodded. That sounded good. She should have her badges by then, and they could save lots of time by using the cavern.

"Well," Sarah said with a smile, "Thanks for the explanation. That's really gonna help us." She made a small gesture toward her brother and pokemon.

The young man let his gaze rest on each of them momentarily before looking back at Sarah with a smile. "No problem."

Sarah nodded, and was about to start walking away when he said, "Hey." Sarah remained where she was and looked at him. "What?"

The young man let a small frown come to his face, as if he was thinking. "Do I know you?"

Sarah blinked. She knew she had never seen him before. "No. Why?"

The boy let his hand fall to his side, although he appeared to still be thinking. A second later, his face lit up and he said, "Hey, I know! You're that dragon kid!"

Sarah blinked. "Huh?"

"You were on the news a few days ago with the Devon Company President," he said, making a small nod as he remembered. "It was something about Team Aqua."

Sarah's stomach started to feel sick as the memory was brought back. She didn't really consider that some people might recognize her. _Well there's another score for Sarah, being stupid enough not to think of something,_ she thought.

Trying to ignore the thought, she gave a small nod. "Yeah, that was me."

"Wow. It's great to meet you," he said, extending a hand. "Sorry I didn't introduce myself before. I'm Jack."

Sarah accepted his hand, feeling somewhat odd at the thought of someone wanting to meet her again. "I'm Sarah. It's nice to meet you too."

Jack nodded as they released each other's hands. He then turned his attention to William. "Hey, this is your brother, right?"

William seemed to be excited at the fact that he was recognized form TV. He jumped forward and said, "Yep. I'm William."

Jack made a small chuckle and shook the young boy's hand. "Hi, nice to meet you." William nodded, and took his place back next to Sarah after they let go.

Jack now looked at the pokemon. He had noticed them earlier, but he didn't want to be rude by asking about them when he was trying to answer Sarah's question. "So these are your pokemon?"

Sarah turned her head to look at them "Yeah."

Jack nodded with a smile. He took a moment to take in Glaedr's size, letting the dragon's gaze fall upon him as he inspected him. He then looked down at the smaller dragons. He looked a bit confused.

"Hey, weren't the other two dragons smaller?" he asked.

Sarah glanced down at her dragons. She looked back at him and said, "Oh yeah. They were, but they evolved."

Jack nodded in understanding. He let his gaze fall on each of them before asking, "What are their names?"

Sarah turned to her pokemon. She was glad to start putting some focus on them instead of her, making her stomach start to settle. She first pointed at her Shelgon. "This is Saphira," she said, then moved aside and put her hand on her Charmeleon's head, "Ignitus," then made a small head gesture at her Tropius, "And Glaedr."

William then picked up his own pokemon and said, "And Rascal."

Jack nodded, also acknowledging William's answer. It was then that Sarah realized that, although he had heard them, his gaze hadn't left the pokemon.

Sarah started to feel a bit awkward as a silence followed. She glanced down at Saphira, who returned her gaze with a small shrug of her shell, then looked back at Jack. She was starting to feel uncomfortable, so she was about to say they had to go. But she stopped when Jack suddenly made a small jump, as if someone kicked him out of his trance.

"Oh! Hey, would you mind waiting here while I go get my little sister?"

Sarah was caught off guard by the sudden request. "Why?" she asked, not sounding rude, but questionable.

"Well," he started, "My family loves dragons, and my little sister isn't an exception. She saw your picture in the newspaper, and got really excited. My mom read it to her, and she loved it."

As the words left his mouth, Sarah's stomach felt odd. She couldn't believe that anyone, even a little kid, would be so excited about seeing her in a paper. _Wait, I doubt it had anything to do with me,_ Sarah thought. _She wants to meet my pokemon._

Sarah turned her head toward her dragons. She saw each of them nod, so she turned her attention back to Jack and said, "Sure."

Jack smiled. "Great. Hang on, it won't take long." With that, he turned and headed down the path with a fast pace.

When he was out of earshot, William said, "This is so cool! Sarah's famous!"

Sarah looked at her brother. "No I'm not," she said. William looked at her. "She likes _dragons_. She wants to meet the _dragons_ she saw, not me."

William looked at the path that Jack left in. He paused, then shrugged. "Ok."

Sarah returned her attention to the path after that. She didn't want him to think it was about her when it wasn't.

Seconds later, Jack returned with a little girl at his side. They walked over to them, Jack appearing to be saying something to her.

When they got closer, Sarah could see the girl's eyes widen at the sight of them. She looked excited, although she stayed right next to her brother.

When they stopped in front of them, Jack said, "This is my sister Sam."

Sarah nodded, then looked at the little girl. She appeared to be about five, her brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, holding what appeared to be a piece of paper in her hand. She wore blue shorts, along with a white t-shirt with a Charmander on it.

Sarah could see the girl's eyes light up as they rested on each of the dragons. She was quiet through the inspection, but appeared very happy with it.

Lastly her eyes met Sarah's. As they did, she smiled. Sarah again felt awkward, having even the smallest amount of a stranger's attention on her, but smiled back.

Sam was the first to say something. "Are you Sarah?"

Sarah gave Saphira a brief glance, then said, "Yeah."

The little girl's smile broadened. She extended the paper in her hand, along with a pen that was in her other hand. "Will you sign this?"

Sarah's eyes widened at the request. _That's a joke, right? _She blinked stupidly at the girl in front of her. _Why would anyone want my signature? _Her heart beat quickly, starting to feel stage fright coming again. Although she wasn't in front of that many people, the thought that someone wanted her signature, (no matter how old they were) made her nervous.

No matter how she felt, Sarah couldn't say no to this little girl. Heck, she could barely say no to anyone. She didn't want to disappoint her, so, with a little hesitation, she accepted the paper and pen.

As Sarah held the paper so she could see it and readied the pen in her hand, she froze. The piece of paper was the picture from the newspaper.

Sarah removed her eyes from the paper and looked at Sam. She looked up at her with a smile waiting patiently for her request to be filled. She then noticed that William was looking at the picture next to her, a small smile on his face.

_They actually kept the picture?_ Sarah thought, still unable to believe it. She now knew that the girl didn't just want to meet her dragons; she wanted to meet her.

Sarah shook her head lightly, as if thinking it would shake her out of a strange dream. But she still saw the paper in her hand and Sam waiting for her to sign it.

Deciding to just do it, Sarah placed the paper in the palm of her hand to give her a harder surface to write on. She placed the pen on the paper, and carefully signed her full name onto the side of the picture, mostly covering the steps of the Devon Company building, but also over two of Glaedr's legs.

When it was done, Sarah took a second to inspect it. It looked good, so she gave both of them back to Sam. The girl politely, but eagerly took them. She looked at the picture with a wide smile, then held it against her shirt, as if protecting it. She looked up at Sarah and said, "Thank you!"

"No problem," Sarah said, able to keep her voice sounding convincingly sincere.

The little girl peeked at her picture one more time, then looked back up at Sarah. She seemed somewhat jumpy. "Can I pet your dragons?"

Sarah let a small sigh. _Finally, get the attention away from me._ She looked back at them to see if it was ok. They all nodded, so she said, "Sure."

This made Sam jump while squealing a quiet, 'Yay!' It was the first time she had given away her excitement.

Taking a small step aside, Sarah watched as Sam first approached Saphira. Her smile displayed all over her face as she reached out a hand and rubbed the dragon's shell. Saphira stood patiently, letting the girl take as much time as she needed.

After a few seconds, she removed her hand and looked over at Ignitus. She was about the same height as him, and seemed eager to pet him. She placed herself in front of him and patted his head. Ignitus didn't hesitate to show his excitement with a broad smile and a friendly growl. The girl giggled at his cuteness and removed her hand. Ignitus seemed to enjoy the attention, and wanted it to last a little longer. He looked at his paw, then lifted it in front of him. Sam giggled again, and gave him a high five. William chuckled.

Now, Sam looked up at the Tropius that towered behind them. Glaedr met her gaze, and seemed to realize that it was his turn. He lowered his head until he was eye level with her. The girl let a small gasp, but recovered with a smile as her eyes met his solemn ones. She reached her hand out and rubbed his cheek. Glaedr let a small hum, letting her know that the contact was welcomed.

After a few seconds, Sam seemed satisfied. She removed her hand and watched as Glaedr lifted his head. She turned, and was about to go back to her brother when she finally noticed the Zigzagoon in William's arms. It wasn't a dragon, but it was cute. She walked forward and reached a hand out, scratching the pokemon under the chin. Rascal kicked his foot briefly. After removing her hand, Sam seemed satisfied, and ran back to her brother.

Jack put a hand on his sister's shoulder and smiled at her. "Have you had enough?" he asked. Sam nodded, seeming too excited and jumpy to speak. He chuckled and turned to Sarah. "Well, thank you. I really appreciate this."

Sarah nodded, her stomach seeming to settle since the attention had been taken off her. "No problem."

"Well, we should go." He made a small wave to each of them and said, "Bye." He turned around, leading his sister along by her shoulder. She turned her head and said, "Thank you! Bye!" She used her free hand to wave. Sarah and William made small waves, the pokemon saying small goodbyes with their own language.

When they were no longer in sight, William turned to Sarah and said, "See!? I told you she wanted to me _you!_"

Sarah looked at him. She wasn't sure what to say, although she knew he was right. Instead, she just made a small shrug and said, "I guess."

William looked at her in playful disbelief. "What do you mean, 'I guess!?' She wanted your signature! That's just awesome!"

Sarah wasn't sure how to react. She just couldn't accept that someone wanted her signature. She never thought anyone would ever want something like that from her, no matter what she did. She was hoping that the newspaper thing would be something in the past, but it appeared that it was something that would slightly follow her for a long time.

Instead, she decided to try and feel good about it. Despite her feelings, it was pretty cool to think someone had asked her for her signature.

Looking back at her brother, Sarah finally got her old mood back. She ruffled the hair on his head, (knowing he hated it) and said, "Well, I'd hate to see how big your head got when someone asked for _your_ signature."

William immediately put a hand on his head to fix his hair. Sarah could tell by the look on his face that she succeeded in getting on his nerves, both because of her gesture and comment.

"My head would _not_ get big!" he insisted, ruffling his hair in an attempt to fix it. "Do you really think that!?"

Sarah just chuckled. She didn't think that; she knew he'd be the exact opposite, no matter how excited he seemed when people were giving him attention. But her sudden mood made her want to pick on him a little, especially since she never did.

Instead of answering him, she walked toward the route they picked earlier, Saphira keeping pace next to her, making small grunting noises in laughter. Sarah smiled as she heard him protest behind her.

"Sarah!" William called, seeming to get slightly angry. He ran after her. "I asked you a question!" Ignitus followed close behind William, although his paws were over his mouth, trying to control his laughter as he saw William's reaction. Glaedr just shook his head fondly, and followed behind them.

- - - - -

They all headed down the route, finding themselves in the small clump of trees that the map showed. Sarah had gotten William to calm down after answering his question and apologizing for her comment. He easily accepted it, and let the situation go.

After finding the end of the small woods, the group found the area where the water started. There was a small, grass beach that stretched about thirty feet from the woods until it hit the water, leaving a comfortable spot to train, and camp.

Not long after they arrived, they began a training session. Sarah knew she'd have to find a new battle style for Saphira before the next gym battle, so she started with that.

She first checked Saphira's reflexes by gently, but swiftly, sending rocks in her direction. The reflexes were quick in the dragon's mind, but her shelled body made it so she was able to dodge very few. They found that, although the shell had a bit of a rubbery texture, it protected her well. When she couldn't dodge a rock, it would just bounce harmlessly off her shell. But Sarah knew it wouldn't stop all damage from reaching the dragon. If it was a stronger attack, or if it hit her face, it would be enough to knock her out.

Feeling that she knew a fair amount of Saphira's new battle strategy, Sarah started the training session with the other two. Their usual target practice with sticks and rocks worked effectively, and they made progress. After a little while, she had William throw the items for Ignitus and Glaedr, (which he did without hesitation), while Sarah worked with Saphira more. She double-checked her reflexes, and inspected her shell, trying to decide what would be a good command to give when various attacks were thrown at her.

The intense training lasted for hours. They didn't realize how much time went by until they all finally had to sit from the exhaustion. Sarah checked her watch, finding it very close to dinnertime, and decided to go back. They would all be hungry after that training.

- - - - -

Within the next hour, they had finished their dinner and made it back to the same spot. They decided they had worked hard that day, and deserved to relax for the rest of the day. They worked together to get firewood, stacking it and cutting it in the same fashion. When it was ready, they watched as Ignitus lit it with his Flamethrower, then proceeded to enjoy the evening by talking and playing games.

Before long, sunset had passed. The sky was completely dark, their only means of light their fire. They found it hard to stay awake, as their training and campfire fun finally exhausted them.

Sarah lay under her covers, feeling like sleep would overtake her any second. She had her usual spot right next to Glaedr, Saphira and Ignitus lying next to her. She had found it a big change when Saphira first lay next to her; the small dragon that could be snuggled against her side was now too big to lie underneath her arm. Instead, she lay on her stomach, still snuggled close to Sarah, and still accepting the blanket that was over her. It made Sarah realize that, no matter how happy she was for her dragon, things would be different when she evolved. She would miss seeing the Bagon that she raised from an egg, but knew it would pass. Saphira was still her best friend, and was still herself, although she was growing up.

Feeling warm at the thoughts of her friend, and how happy she would be with wings, Sarah finally fell asleep.

- - - - -

Wow. Sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out. I'm still writing this story, and I hope you're still interested. I will try my best not to let any more delays last this long. Thanks for reading, and reviews are always welcomed.

For anyone interested, I updated the Bios.

Name: Sarah Ryder

Age: 10

Sarah is a new trainer in the region of Hoenn. She started her journey with her Bagon, a dragon that she raised from an egg.

Sarah is a gentle person. She always tried to do the right thing, and she enjoys giving to others. She loved traveling with her brother and pokemon, having fun with them and enjoying getting closer to them. She doesn't like a lot of people's attention on her, as it makes her self-conscious and nervous. She is excited about her journey, but she can't help but question her own abilities.

Name: William Ryder

Age: 8

William is Sarah's little brother. He started traveling with Sarah after getting permission from their parents.

Sarah's best friend, William has an energetic personality. He means well with his words and actions, but sometimes acts on his feelings before he thinks things through. He is very sweet, and warms up to people easily, always ready for a new adventure.

William always helps Sarah feel better when she's feeling down. He supports her pokemon journey, and came up with the idea of her trying to be a Dragon Master.

Name: Saphira

Saphira is a young Shelgon. She was hatched and raised by Sarah after being found as an egg in the forest near her home.

Saphira, like most pokemon of her species, has a dream of flying. She is wise for her age, and enjoys having fun and spending time with Sarah and her friends. She can sometimes surprise others with her actions, but is very easy to warm up to. She is also developing deep feelings for Sarah's Tropius, Glaedr.

Saphira supports Sarah's journey, and enjoys every bit of it, helping Sarah with bits of wisdom, and being her best friend. She is gentle, but if Sarah was ever in any danger, this dragon would be unpredictable.

Name: Ignitus

Ignitus is a young Charmeleon, who joined the gang after they rescued him from a flock of attacking Spearows.

Ignitus has a very carefree personality. He is very goofy, and enjoys doing small stunts to blow off energy. He started getting close to William after the boy began teaching him games and spending time with him. He prefers to be with Sarah, and remains closer to her than anyone else, but has formed a great friendship with William.

He is also very gentle, as he didn't want to battle when he first met Sarah. But with her help, he now wants to do his best as her pokemon and help her become a Master.

Name: Glaedr

Glaedr is a young Tropius. He became Sarah's pokemon after she and the gang rescued him from certain death after a run in with Team Aqua.

Glaedr possesses wisdom beyond his age. He is usually quiet, but acts as the gang's protector by watching over them as they travel. He enjoys talking with them, and sometimes adding a bit of comedy with his comments.

Although mostly collected, Glaedr is angered with the mention of Team Aqua. Sarah is trying to help him overcome his anger, but is still unsure of his actions when they bring up the subject, or if they ever have another run in.

Glaedr supports Sarah's dream of becoming a Pokemon Master. He battles as her pokemon, helping her reach her goal in any way he can. He is also developing deep feelings for Sarah's Shelgon, Saphira.

Name: Rascal

Rascal is a young Zigzagoon who took an immediate liking to William when he first met the gang. He joined them of his own free will.

Rascal has a happy personality. He is very young, and mostly seems like a puppy that just wants to have fun with his master. He stays by his side most of the time, following William wherever he goes. When William starts his pokemon journey, Rascal will be his partner.


	15. Find The Strength In Yourself

The next morning, a strange sight met Sarah's eyes. Her vision blurred with fatigue, but she could make out something lite gray in front of her. Puzzled, she blinked her eyes so she could see. Her mind took a second to process that it was Saphira's shell.

A smile came to Sarah's lips as she remembered that Saphira evolved. She kept her gaze on the dragon's shell, watching it move up and down as she took rhythmic breaths. It made her feel excited to take on the day, wondering what could happen now.

After everyone was up and ready, the group made their way to the Pokemon Center. They enjoyed their breakfast, all the while with William ranting about Sarah's next battle. As she listened, she felt that, although Saphira had evolved and some things were different, things wouldn't really change.

"So, next badge today?" William asked hopefully.

Sarah considered it. She wasn't sure if they should battle so soon after Saphira evolved, wondering if they had established a new battle style that would work. She figured it would be better to review it before they battled. But they would only take the morning to do it, then do the Gym Battle in the afternoon. Sarah was enjoying her stay here, but didn't want to stick around for too long. William might not like it either. She also didn't really want to stay much longer, a bit anxious that they might see Sam and Jack again, but she didn't say it. She felt stupid for the dumb excuse, but she thought it might be awkward if they stayed too long and ran into them a lot.

"Well," Sarah said, looking up at them, "I think we should do some warm ups, then if you guys feel ready, we can do the battle in the afternoon." No one objected to the idea, so they made it a plan.

Not long after breakfast, everyone was ready to go. They headed back to the spot they camped at last night, and started their training. William was more than happy to throw various objects for Ignitus and Glaedr while Sarah reviewed Saphira's new battle style. It was pretty easy, and Saphira was able to get used to it quickly. Sarah was able to think of good strategies to use when the only advantage would be defense.

When the morning was up, they finally decided to quit. After a short break, they enjoyed a well-earned lunch at the Pokemon Center. Not long afterward, the headed for the Pokemon Gym.

The trip took no time, considering how close it was to the Center. They were greeted by a building of the usual Pokemon Gym size, with yellow walls and the classic red roof. They glanced at the sign with the Gym Leader's name and status, already knowing who he was and his type of pokemon, then headed inside.

The room they entered seemed to show off the Gym's Electric Pokemon Status. The common room had yellow walls, along with two small rows of soft, brown chairs sitting back to back in the middle of the room. There were two small tables on each side, holding various Pokemon Magazines, and end tables with Electabuzz lamps.

Sarah liked the look of the room. It was very welcoming and cozy. It made her forget most of the butterflies in her stomach that resulted from being, again, nervous about the battle.

After a quick scan of the room, they headed over to the reception desk. The young man that stood behind it had seen them walk in, and greeted them with a bright "Hello" as they approached.

"Hi," Sarah said politely. She seemed less hesitant in saying, "I'd like to challenge Wattson for a badge."

The young man nodded and said, "Follow me." He then left his spot behind the desk and went to the usual door on the right that led to the battle arena. Sarah followed, noting just how glad she was that she hadn't had to wait in the waiting room in getting her badges.

The room was, as usual, a dirt area with a very tall ceiling. The receptionist used the phone by the door to call Wattson, which took no time at all. After a few more seconds, they saw the door on the other side of the room open, and a plump man walk out.

The receptionist told them to follow him, and they headed to the middle of the arena as Wattson approached them.

When they met in the middle, Sarah was now able to see her opponent. She had seen him on the computer in Dewford, but it was cool to meet him in person.

The older man spoke first in a deep, but gentle voice. "Hello, I am Wattson." He extended a hand to Sarah, knowing she was the challenger, as she was standing right in front of him.

Sarah took his hand and shook it. "I'm Sarah."

Wattson nodded, and they let go. He glanced downward at the Shelgon by Sarah's side, then looked back at her and gave her a warm smile. "Are you ready to battle?" he asked.

Sarah glanced down at Saphira. The dragon nodded her shell, so she said, "Yeah."

Wattson said, "Well then, best of luck to you." With that, he turned and headed over to his own side of the battlefield. Sarah followed suit by heading over to the challenger's end, everyone following.

As she placed herself in the circle, and took enough time to watch the receptionist leave, Sarah was surprised as she felt less nervous than she had in her last Gym battles. There were a few butterflies in her stomach, but she actually felt more confidence than she had before. She was glad that she was more comfortable with it now.

Seconds later, a man came out of a door on the right side of the gym. He placed himself on the short platform, as he was the judge, the raised a small yellow flag, saying, "This will be a three on three battle, substitutions allowed! First one to knock out all three of the opposing pokemon is the winner!" After a short pause, he said, "Choose your Pokemon!"

Sarah wasn't surprised as she saw Wattson call his pokemon before she did. He pulled a Pokeball from a pocket, and threw it, yelling, "Go Electron!" A Magnemite formed from the pokeball as it flew back into the trainer's hand. The small pokemon made a high-pitched, mechanical sound as it twirled the horseshoes magnets that stuck out of each side of it's round body.

It didn't take long for Sarah to decide who to choose. Although she did want to see if her battle plan with Saphira worked, she felt that it would be easier to use a type advantage.

Pointing at the opposing pokemon, Sarah shouted, "Go, Ignitus!"

The Charmeleon grunted, then quickly made his way to face the enemy. He put on a battle face, showing rows of ivory teeth as he tried to intimidate the opponent. Sarah felt a pang of excitement and nervousness in her chest as she waited for the battle to start.

The judge waved the flag, then shouted, "Let the battle begin!"

"Thunderbolt!" Wattson shouted. At the same time, Sarah called, "Flamethrower!"

Both pokemon quickly did as they were told. The Magnemite glowed briefly before sending a bolt of lightning at his enemy. The Charmeleon, after a thrust of his head, sent a hot flame in the direction of his enemy.

Sarah watched as the attacks made contact. She expected an explosion as the attacks collided, as that was what seemed to always happen.

But her eyes widened as it didn't come. Instead, she saw that the yellow light of the thunderbolt shoot through the fire, then hit her dragon in the chest, engulfing him in the bright light. In the same second, the fire hit the Magnemite in the face, as its own attack hadn't stopped it from coming.

After another second, the pokemon's cries stopped as the attacks faded. Sarah first noticed Ignitus; he was still on his feet, shaking his head after the blow, but seemed almost unhurt. She then looked at the enemy. The Magnemite was still in the air, but had no signs of movement.

Just then, the pokemon made a small mechanical sound, then fell to the floor, hitting it with a thud like a big rock.

That… was easy, Sarah thought as she heard the judge declare Ignitus the winner. A Gym leader's pokemon knocked out in one hit. She couldn't believe it; Ignitus was even stronger than she thought.

After telling him what a good job he did, Wattson recalled his pokemon. He fished for the next one in his pocket as he called across, "Very impressive! That's the first time in a long time Electron has been so easily defeated!" He pulled a second pokeball out of his pocket. "But don't think you'll be so lucky with this one!"

Throwing it out into the arena, he called, "Go, Shockproof!" The ball flew back into his hand as a pokemon that resembled a pokeball came out. It opened its eyes and let a few sparks dance around its body.

Without any hesitation, Wattson shouted, "Spark!"

The Voltorb let it's body glow yellow before shooting a ball of electricity at his enemy. It moved with great speed, making it so the dragon didn't have time to move out of the way. It hit his stomach, making him cry out as if electrified his body. After it faded, he stood with his closed eyes focused on the ground, taking a few deep breaths.

"Rollout!" Wattson shouted. Shockproof listened to his trainer's command, rolling his body toward the enemy, getting faster and faster as he approached.

This time, Ignitus was ready. He had finally recovered enough from the attack to look up, seeing the enemy roll toward him.

The Charmeleon dodged the move by doing a cartwheel to the right, making the Voltorb pass him just before it made contact. Sarah smiled as she saw it. He had not been able to do that before, and now he had just used it in battle.

As soon as Ignitus landed back onto his own feet, he faced the still rolling Voltorb, then let another jet of flame fly from his maw. It hit the pokemon right on, stopping the roll, and doing a great amount of damage.

After the fire faded, Sarah hoped that the enemy was almost defeated. She decided that it was time to finish it, so she called, "Flamethrower!"

But just as she did, Wattson called form across the area, "Selfdestruct!" As the command reached Sarah's ears, her heart jumped.

Just as the fire was leaving Ignitus's mouth, Shockproof began to glow. A split second later, there was a loud explosion as he blew up, setting the danger all across the arena.

Sarah found her arms covering her face as it sounded. She waited a few seconds after it stopped, her breathing deep at the sudden explosion. She finally managed to lower her arms, hoping to see what the outcome was.

Surprisingly, the smoke had already cleared. But she felt disheartened as she saw Ignitus lying on his back, with no signs of movement.

The judge raised his flag and said, "Both pokemon are unable to battle!"

Sarah ran out to her dragon as Wattson recalled his pokemon. Sarah found Ignitus's eyes open when she reached him, kneeling down next to him to make sure he wasn't seriously hurt.

After hearing him say he was ok and telling him how great he did, Sarah helped him onto his feet and led him back to the challenger's circle. He sat down next to William, who was rubbing his head and telling him how great he did.

After returning her attention to the battle, Sarah thought about the situation. Wattson only had one pokemon left, and she had two. But he had just used a good strategy; he knew that Ignitus's next attack was going to knock out his pokemon, so he made sure the dragon came down with him. It doesn't matter that I was able to knock out his first pokemon so easily; he's smart. It made her realize that, no matter how a battle is going, she should never let her guard down.

Not long after the thought left Sarah's mind, she saw Wattson retrieve another Pokeball from his pocket, throw it into the arena, and shout, "Go, Inductor!" A Magneton formed from the pokeball's light, appearing to be three Magnemite joined together in a triangular form.

Sarah gulped. She remembered reading about Inductor; he was powerful.

Sarah carefully considered her choice. She knew that it would be ok if the pokemon she chose couldn't win, because she would still have one more. But she didn't want to do anything unnecessary. She also remembered that powerful electric attacks could hurt Glaedr, so if she could keep him from battling it would be better.

With that in mind, and hoping that the new battle style would work, Sarah said, "Go, Saphira!"

The Shelgon made her way to her enemy, going as fast as her small legs would take her. When she was positioned, Sarah tried to think of what to tell her to do. It was their first time using the new battle style, and she wasn't sure where to start.

But Wattson didn't wait any longer. "Double-Edge!" he shouted.

Sarah thought faster as she saw the magnet pokemon make a fast charge toward Saphira. She hoped that the enemy would be caught off guard because of how close he already was.

Quickly, Sarah shouted, "Dragonbreath!"

As the Magneton came within inches of the dragon's face, Saphira opened her barely visible mouth, and shot the electric-blue stream at her enemy. It struck him in the middle, engulfing every one of the seemingly individual magnets.

When Saphira stopped the attack, Inductor floated there, making small, jerking motions, as if in pain. It did a small shake to get rid of it as Wattson called, "Thunderbolt!"

The Magneton quickly charged the attack, and shot it at Saphira. As expected, her round body made it impossible to dodge in time, and she was struck with great force. She glowed briefly as it damaged her body, then it faded. She opened her eyes, and glared after the enemy.

As Sarah watched, she winced. She knew how powerful that pokemon was, and she hoped that her estimates of how much power Saphira's shell could take were right.

When the attack was over, Sarah felt relieved. Although she couldn't see Saphira's face, she knew that the attack didn't hurt her much.

Wattson didn't seem to be perturbed that the attack didn't do much. Instead, he commanded his pokemon to do it again. At the same time, Sarah commanded Saphira to use another Dragonbreath.

As expected, the attacks met in midair. And again, the expected explosion didn't come. Instead, the attacks held each other in the air, and were being pushed back and forth as each pokemon held their attack and tried to push it back into the enemy.

A few long seconds passed, and it appeared that the two pokemon had the same amount of power, each of their attacks seemingly refusing to budge. Sarah started to feel nervous as she wasn't sure just how long Saphira could hold the attack. They hadn't practiced how long an attack could linger for a long time, and she wasn't sure if she improved.

Finally, Saphira couldn't take it anymore. She could feel her throat burn, not from the attack, but how long she had been holding it. She didn't want to give up, knowing that having the enemy's attack and her own inflicted on her just might end the battle.

But there was no way she was going to let Sarah down. Sure, they could just try again if they lost, but she had to win. She knew that Sarah didn't blame her for the loss against Amanda, but she couldn't help but still have a little bit of guilt in the back of her mind. She kept trying to tell herself that it didn't matter, but she just felt that she could have done better in the fight. So, she decided that she would win this battle to make up for it, and never let herself be bothered by a loss again. It didn't matter to Sarah, so why should it matter to her?

With that in mind, Saphira concentrated on winning. She didn't think she could hold the attack much longer, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't push it back into the enemy's attack. So, while trying to force her attack to keep going, she took a step forward, trying to close the distance between the two, hoping that it would give her an advantage.

Sarah watched as Saphira started walking forward. At first, she wasn't sure what the dragon was doing, but then realized what it was. If she closed the distance between the attacks, maybe she could surprise the enemy, and make hers win as his faltered at the slight surprise.

Saphira was starting to get closer, but the enemy didn't seem to notice, as he was concentrating his attack too hard. She went a few more inches, all the way keeping her attack going, when the Magneton finally noticed. His eyes looked at the dragon in shock, completely off guard at how much closer the enemy was, and his attack faltered.

In the momentary hesitation of the enemy's attack, Saphira used as much energy as she could to force her attack forward, breaking through the Thunderbolt, and hitting the Magneton right on. He made high-pitched screeches in shock and pain as it damaged him, and he couldn't escape it.

Finally, Saphira used as much energy as she could. She stopped the attack and plopped onto her stomach, taking deep breaths to get her energy back. At the same time, high-pitched mechanical sounds came from the opposing pokemon as he tried to shake off the attack. But it wasn't doing any good. The attack did too much and, after another twitch, he fell to the ground with a thud.

Sarah smiled widely as the judge declared her the winner of the battle. She had gotten another badge, and Saphira did a great job of handling the battle's problem without her help.

While hearing her brother and pokemons' excitement behind her, Sarah made her way to Saphira, who had gotten on her feet and faced her trainer. Sarah reached out a hand and rubbed the top of the dragon's shell saying, "Great job!" She was so proud of the smart dragon, and still felt the usual excitement of getting another badge.

Saphira hummed deep in her throat as her trainer rubbed her head. She now felt that she had made up for the battle, and it would no longer bother her.

Just then, Wattson approached the two with a sincere smile. "Wonderful job," he said to both dragon and trainer. "That was an impressive display of attacks."

"Thanks," Sarah said, still keeping her now unmoving hand on Saphira's head.

Wattson smiled and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small, round badge. It was a bright yellow, with two small needle looking pieces sticking out of two sides, like an arrow through a heart. He placed it in Sarah's outstretched hand and said, "You've earned it well."

Sarah smiled at the badge in her hand. It meant that she was another step closer to going to the Pokemon League. Sure, it was only her third badge, but she was excited. She felt that, no matter how many badges she got, the feeling of accomplishment would always stay the same.Looking back up at the man, Sarah said, "Thanks." Wattson just nodded, seeming to think that he had said what he needed to.

With that, Sarah closed the hand that held the badge, and headed back over to her brother and pokemon with Saphira following.

- - - - -

Back at the Pokemon Center, Sarah put her new badge in her badge case as she, William, Glaedr and Rascal waited for Saphira and Ignitus to be healed. It fit in its place just as well as the others did, gleaming a bright yellow against the deep blue felt. As she looked at all three of the badges, she was excited to see that her next badge would complete the top row. It made her feel a sense of achievement, and made her excited to continue her journey.

After a few minutes, she got her pokemon back. They were completely refreshed, and looked ready for the rest of the day.

Then again, what were they going to do for the rest of the day? It was barely into the afternoon, and they had already finished what they needed to do in town. Sarah considered staying one more night then continuing the next day, but the thought of running into Sam and Jack was in the back of her mind, and she didn't feel comfortable. But she wasn't going to let that be the reason. It was part of the reason, but she also just couldn't wait to see the next city, and have fun with her brother and pokemon.

"Well," she addressed her brother and pokemon as they all sat at a table, "Do you guys want to stay, or do you want to start heading to the next town?"

"Let's go now!" William said with excitement. Sarah chuckled; that was the answer she expected from him.

However, she got a more reasonable answer from Saphira. 'How long will it take?' Well, it was really a question, but still a more reasonable one.

Sarah then took her Pokenav out of her pocket and looked at the map. They would have to travel down two routes, then take a cable car company that would bring them to the top of a mountain. After being dropped off, they would have to follow a trail down a wooded side of the mountain, and at the bottom would be Lavaridge.

"A long time," Sarah answered her dragon, still looking at the map. She calculated it in her head and said, "If we were to leave now, we would probably make it to Lavaridge before dark tomorrow." Sarah didn't have a problem with it; it would give them more time to spend together, playing games and camping. They always enjoyed that.

And of course, William wasn't about to protest. "Awesome! Let's go now!" Rascal barked in agreement.

Sarah smiled, then looked up at Glaedr. He just gave a small nod, saying, 'Whatever you choose is fine with me.'

She then checked with Ignitus. He smiled and said, 'I think we should go now.' He seemed just as excited as William.

Sarah looked over to Saphira as she said, 'Yes, that would be fine.'

"Ok then," Sarah said, putting her Pokenav away. "If you guys are ready, let's go."

After making sure they had everything they needed, the group set on their way to Route 111. It was still early afternoon, and the sun was a welcoming warmth, making the temperature tolerable.

As they walked, they kept busy with their usual games. It was surprising that it never got tiring, no matter how often they played it. Since they were playing it together, it was always fun.

They had been walking for a few hours, and were enjoying a round of I Spy. William had spied something, and the one trying the most desperately to figure out what he was looking at was Ignitus. He guessed so often that Sarah had to pay close attention to the game so she could translate for him.

Finally, after what must have been a hundred guesses, Sarah translated, "Your eyes, William."

"Awww!" William playfully groaned. "I thought I'd get you on that one!" Ignitus folded his arms and put on a mock look of smugness, making them all laugh.

Just then, right after the laughter faded, Sarah's head spun to a spot ahead on the right of the trail. She had heard a small rustle and saw movement in a bush. She had stopped in her tracks, shortly followed by the others. She kept staring at it, starting to wonder if she had imagined it.

But it moved again. She felt the tension of her dragons around her as it moved. She wondered if they were in any danger. Then again, if it was something bad, the pokemon would know.

"It's probably just a wild pokemon," Sarah said through the silence. Just as the words left her mouth, a blonde girl came out of the bush and walked to the middle of the trail, now standing there and watching her.

Sarah sighed with frustration. _Or it could be Amanda…_

The girl stood there with her arms folded, watching the other girl and her dragons with a look of annoyance. She remained silent for a few seconds, ignoring the looks that the dragons were giving her.

Sarah found herself standing in a similar position, but with a softer expression. Why did this girl have to bother her? Couldn't she just bother someone else?

Finally, Amanda spoke, using a tone that was supposedly sarcastic. "Wild pokemon, huh? You're real intelligent."

Sarah blew off the comment, not wanting it to anger her. She hated how easy it was for Amanda to push her buttons. It took a lot for her to get mad, but… it seemed that, even though Amanda didn't know her, she always knew just which buttons to press.

Instead, she just felt an exasperation fill her chest. She tried to use a calm tone, but it came out slightly forceful, and somewhat rude. "Can I help you with something?"

Amanda rolled her eyes, looking completely disgusted by the question. "From you, no thanks."

There was another button she pressed right on; Sarah felt her anger at the girl's rude composure, especially when there was no reason for it. "Fine, then we'll just go."

Amanda remained where she stood and said, "No, I think we should battle again."

_You've got to be kidding,_ Sarah thought, not happy with the idea at all. She wasn't scared, but she didn't want to battle Amanda for a long time… Never again if she could help it. Although she did want to beat her to make up for the previous loss, the thought of battling her just didn't sound like a good idea. Last time, Saphira came close to be seriously injured. If she was going to battle her again, it would be with a judge.

Wait… was that why she wanted to battle again? Because there was no judge? Now that she thought back, she realized that the last battle had been held in a similar place; where there were no people, and no means of a judge.

Finally, she just said, "No."

Amanda looked angered by the answer. "Why? Are you scared?"

Again, it was a similar situation. She had asked her that last time, and Sarah gave in. Well, she wasn't going to let her do it again.

Trying to keep her voice calm, she said, "No. I just don't want to battle right now."

Amanda let a dry laugh. "How can you not want to battle? If you're a trainer, then battle."

Sarah wasn't going to let herself give into the pressure. "No."

Amanda looked ready to protest, but said rudely, "Fine." She unfolded her arms and looked at her as if she was a waste of time. "You pokemon lost so pathetically last time, and you're still weak now."

Sarah's anger was starting to peak. "Saphira isn't weak!" she blurted.

Amanda rolled her eyes again. "I meant you."

Sarah was taken aback by the comment. The way she had said it, she did think she meant Saphira. But she meant her?

"That loss came so fast, and so pathetic," Amanda continued, a smile on her lips. Her next words were said with much hate. "Yeah, your dragon is weak too, but you're even weaker."

Sarah just stood in silence, feeling greatly offended. Why was she letting Amanda's words get to her? Why would she listen to her? She didn't know anything about her.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. Without warning, she said somewhat loudly and demanding, "Why do you hate me so much!? You don't even know me!" She felt the shocked silence of her brother and pokemon behind her. Maybe she had startled them with the outburst, but she had to know. She was getting tired of this.

Amanda wasn't fazed at Sarah's tone. Instead, she just said simply, "That's none of your business."

Sarah was anything but happy with the answer. _None of my business?_ she thought angrily. _How is it not my business?_

Before she could say anything else, Amanda turned and walked away, making a turn into the trees.

Sarah just stood there, feeling angry. How could Amanda think she could just come up to her and insult her like that?

Then again, why was Sarah letting the words get to her? Why should she let a person she didn't know get to her? _She doesn't know anything about me,_ Sarah told herself. The important thing was, did she herself think she was weak?

Well… kind of.

Sarah just shook her head, at herself or Amanda, she wasn't sure. She just didn't know; she questioned her abilities before she started her journey, no matter how excited she was. But why would she think she wasn't strong enough? She had the support of her family and pokemon; they believed in her, so… why couldn't she just believe in herself?

"Sarah?"

She turned as she heard her brother say her name. He and all of the pokemon were looking at her with different expressions, but all with a small display of worry.

"You ok?"

Sarah managed a real smile. "Yeah." She turned to face them all, feeling a bit sheepish about her actions. "Sorry I got so mad."

William just laughed. "I don't care about that. It's about time you asked her." He made a small frown. "Too bad we didn't get an answer."

Sarah just shrugged. "Yeah. But I guess it doesn't matter." Well, it did matter to her, but she wasn't going to keep everyone's moods down by keeping that feeling in their heads.

Instead, she said, "Well, let's just go." They all nodded, seeming to realize that the anger had passed, and started walking.

As they passed her, Sarah started walking, but was stopped in her tracks as she felt something pull at the thigh of her jeans. She turned around and saw Saphira release her grip, and look up at her.

Sarah turned and looked down at the dragon. "What's the matter?"

Saphira studied Sarah for a few seconds, blinking only once. Although Sarah was used to Saphira acting a bit strange on occasion, she glanced to the side as the silence continued.

Finally, Saphira said simply, 'Don't let anyone tell you you're not strong.'

Sarah just watched the Shelgon, and smiled. Just hearing her best friend say that made her feel better. In little words, and with her eyes, Saphira had told her that she was strong. And if her best friend, the one she had a bond with that grew the more they were together thought she was strong… how could she ever doubt herself?

Sarah reached out and patted the dragon's head. "Thanks, Saphira." Saphira said nothing, but the smile in her eyes let Sarah know that it was no problem.

Together, they started walking to catch up with the rest of the group. Sarah knew that she would always have doubts about herself; it just seemed that it would be something that she would have to deal with. But knowing that she had her friends and family to back her up, she knew she would believe that she was strong eventually.

- - - - -

Well, I know that chapter was short, and the battle description wasn't detailed enough, but I didn't have much inspiration for it. Hopefully, you liked it, and the next chapter will make up for it.


	16. I'll Be Right Here Where You Need Me

The rest of the day was spent normally. Sarah had left the Amanda incident behind her, convinced by herself and Saphira's words that she shouldn't let anything the girl said get to her. What was important was what she felt, and what her friends and family felt.

The next day started off enjoyable. They started walking not long after breakfast, and entertained themselves with small games. Eventually, although they never tired of it, Sarah decided it was time to think of a new game. She pondered for a minute, and finally thought of something. She pulled out her Pokedex and opened a page to a pokemon. She explained to the others that it was a guessing game. She would find a pokemon on the Pokedex, and the group would listen to the description, and try to guess what pokemon it was. They all thought it was a great idea, and started playing. It became a very enjoyable game, one that they couldn't stop playing. William was always excited to try and guess before anyone else, but he didn't get many of them right. It seemed that Glaedr was the best at the game; Sarah guessed it was because he was a wild pokemon before she became his trainer, and he had seen many wild ones. Sure, Ignitus was too, but he was younger than Glaedr, and he seemed like he hadn't bothered with the other pokemon around him. Saphira knew about as much as Sarah did, as she had lived with her for her entire life. And Rascal, well… he just cheered William on, considering his young, puppy like personality wouldn't let him be interested in anything but watching William.

Actually, the thought was a little surprising to Sarah. It made her realize that she didn't know anything about Glaedr and Ignitus until she met them. She had never bothered to ask them what they did before they met. How was Glaedr living before he was attacked? How did Ignitus end up being attacked by Spearows? It made her feel bad that she never even bothered to ask about her pokemons' pasts, considering that she just assumed it was the normal life of a wild pokemon. But she was interested, so she decided to ask them sometime.

At lunchtime, they finally decided to stop and rest. They didn't stop for long, all hoping that they would be able to get to the next city by nightfall. They were having fun, but it would be nice to be near a populated place; it would feel safer, although Sarah knew her pokemon would protect her. She never doubted that they would watch her and her brother, but being out in the open for too long could lead to trouble, like another Team Aqua member. She wanted to avoid that in any way possible.

After they continued walking, the Pokedex game, as they simply dubbed it, was continued. Sarah loved seeing just how much the others enjoyed it, and guessed it was going to be a new favorite. She also realized that it was the perfect way to learn about pokemon. The more they played it, the more they would learn.

After a little while, although he liked it, Ignitus started to get a little bored of the game. He liked that he was playing it with his friends, but he wasn't getting many of them right. So, as he usually did when he felt extra energy, he decided to practice his stunts. As the others continued to play, he placed himself to the side, and did a cartwheel like he had in the gym battle. He rolled with great accuracy, and landed gently onto his feet. The motion caught everyone else's attention, especially William's. He told him how cool it was, and asked him to do it again. Now with an audience, Ignitus did it again, just as well as before. He wasn't nervous to have them watch; he actually seemed to love it. Sarah was impressed that he could do it so easily, but even more impressed that he could have people watch him without being nervous. She wondered how he could be so comfortable having them watch. Maybe because he knew them all, and he knew they enjoyed it. She decided that she would ask him when she asked him about his life before he met her.

Then again, maybe she should just ask William. He was just as comfortable with it as Ignitus. He was very excited to see the talented dragon, and hurried over, asking him to teach him. Ignitus beamed with pleasure, thinking it was really cool that he could be the one teaching instead of learning. So, he agreed that he would show him. William immediately said he wanted to know now, and asked Sarah if they could. She said that it was fine as long as they could keep walking while they did. She knew it wouldn't be hard for them, considering that they would be moving as they did the cartwheels, and if they fell a bit behind, they could catch up easily. It wouldn't hurt to go a little slower, she just didn't want to stop altogether.

So, after giving Sarah his backpack because it would get in the way if he wore it, William played the role of pupil instead of teacher. The walking was a bit slower, and a few stops were made as William's first attempt left him sprawled on the ground. Sarah couldn't hold back her laughter, but she knew William wouldn't mind. He had a good sense of humor, and just laughed with her. As the day went on, William quickly got the hang of cartwheels. It didn't take long before he was able to do them just as well as Ignitus.

Finally, they stopped for dinner. William and Ignitus had been doing their tricks almost the whole way, and really needed the rest. Sarah let them stay a little longer after the meal to make sure they would have enough energy to make it the rest of the way to Lavaridge.

But they were back on the road before they knew it. William and Ignitus decided to just walk the rest of the way, deciding that they could continue the next day, and maybe try some new tricks.

Finally, in very early evening, when the sun was still high in the sky, they reached the end of Route 112. Just ahead, the trees around the trail thinned, then disappeared as the trail opened, and they saw a massive mountain stretch above them. They all craned their necks to look at its peaks, but unable to see them because of the snow that fell on top.

_Wait… that's not snow,_ Sarah thought. Then again, what else could it be?

They made their way to the edge of the mountain, walking up the makeshift steps that had been carved out by the Cable Car Company. After making their way up about fifty steps, they could see the Cable Car just ahead. They made their way over, as that was the way they had to take to get to the next route.

When they reached the front, they stayed behind the small railing, greeted by the machine's operator.

"Hello," he said, with a warm smile. "Need a ride up the mountain?"

"Yeah," Sarah said.

The man nodded and looked at the group around her. He looked back at her and said, "Well, everyone will fit except that Tropius. Does he have a pokeball?"

Sarah scratched the back of her head. "Well, yeah but…" _I should have thought of that._

But, she turned around as she felt the familiar nudge of Glaedr's nose brushing against her back to get her attention. He looked at her as he was eye level and said, 'Ask if I can just fly up and meet you there.'

_Well, that should work out fine,_ Sarah thought. She turned to the operator and asked what Glaedr had suggested.

The man nodded. "Of course. This lift is used for people and pokemon to reach the mountain, but the terrain really belongs to pokemon. If one wants to get up by their own means, we cannot stop them."

"Great," Sarah said, glancing back at her Tropius, who smiled. "Thanks."

The man nodded, and said, "So, the rest of you will take the lift?" Sarah nodded. "Alright then, come on in." He opened the gate on the railing and motioned for them to enter. Sarah turned to Glaedr. "See you at the top." He nodded with a warm smile and took off in flight.

When the rest of the group was past the gate, the operator closed it, then led them into the Cable Car. It was fair in size, leaving enough room for all of them. She knew the operator was right in saying that Glaedr wouldn't have fit. There would have been room for more people, but not for a Tropius.

After closing the door and locking it, the man turned and picked up a radio receiver. He said some inaudible words, then pressed a button on a control panel. Just then, they felt the cable car make a small jerk, then start making a smooth decent up the wire that stretched to their destination.

The decent seemed a bit slow, but no one complained. It left them time to enjoy the beautiful scenery around them. Sarah stood by one of the windows, with William right next to her, looking out at the gradually shrinking ground below them. He held Rascal in his arms, letting the small pokemon enjoy the scenery too. Ignitus stood on William's other side, looking out at the mountain with a large smile. Sarah remembered how he had said he thought mountains were pretty, and smiled at how much he was enjoying seeing one. Saphira stood on Sarah's other side, just tall enough to look out the window. She watched the trees slowly move by, seeming to take in the sights silently.

Sarah watched the terrain with a smile. It looked so beautiful, with the trees covering the side of the mountain, and the sun casting a beautiful light across it. As they neared the top, the sun gradually got darker, making it look like an early sunset, changing the bright colors to a deep red as the sun began to hide behind the mountain.

Just then, a spiraling green and brown object caught Sarah's eyes. It took no time for her to recognize that it was Glaedr, taking his time to enjoy his flight and meet them at the top.

The sight was beautiful to Sarah. Just watching this powerful, but gentle dragon in his place in the sky. How he did his aerial tricks, how he knew which air currents to lift him into a glide, how his skin color was able to partially camouflage him against the tall pines that grew from the mountain. It warmed Sarah's heart, seeing how much at peace he was in flight, how much it meant to a dragon to carry itself across the sky on its wings.

She glanced to the side at Saphira, who was watching Glaedr with the same look she had seen many times. She knew she couldn't wait until she could do the same; just fly and enjoy soaring above anything she wanted, letting herself be carried by the wind. Sarah smiled, knowing how the dragon felt. Seeing it made her realize that she longed to be in the sky with Saphira, just being able to share the dream with her, letting their bond become closer as they shared the time together.

Without a word, Sarah reached out and gently rubbed Saphira's head. The dragon kept her gaze out on the mountainside, but Sarah could see the smile in her eyes.

The ride was enjoyable, but ended in a few minutes. When they reached the top, Glaedr was there waiting for them, and the second Cable Car operator let them out. After saying they enjoyed the trip, they headed for the trail that led to the bottom for the mountain.

Although it was still early evening, there wasn't much light in the thick woods. The sun was hidden behind the tall trees to their right, and all the way down the trail, the edge of the mountain remained on their left, leaving a cliff all along it. They stayed together, deciding to stick with a game of I Spy. Sarah was glad that they had made it this far. At this rate, they would get to Lavaridge in no time.

After about a half hour of walking, everyone was trying to guess what William was spying. It was a bit noisy as they laughed, but around them, everything seemed pretty quiet.

Until, everyone froze as they heard a loud twig snap just ahead.

The sound made them all stop in their tracks, staring in the direction of the sound. Although it wasn't dark, the trees gave the area an appearance of dusk, making it so the area where they had heard the noise was visible, but a few feet farther was too dark to see.

Just as they had all looked in the direction of the sound, they saw a man fall out of a bush, and land on his stomach. There was enough light to let them know that it was a young man, maybe in his early twenties…

Wearing a Team Aqua uniform.

As Sarah saw who it was, her eyes widened. She had been afraid that they would run into trouble, and had hoped that they wouldn't have to deal with Team Aqua anymore, but there was one, right in front of them.

What were they going to do? Sarah wasn't sure if they would be able to handle another attack if this man was as dangerous as the last one they ran into. Sarah's mind raced as she tried to think of what to do as he started lifting himself onto his hands and knees. He almost seemed like he didn't know they were there but… Maybe Glaedr could scare him away, or-

Just as the thought left her head, Sarah's head jerked behind her as she heard a great roar erupt from Glaedr. Just as her eyes caught sight of him, she saw him thrust his head, and let a great green beam leave his mouth, and go right in his direction. Sarah's eyes followed the blur of green light, and she watched in horror as it hit the man in the chest, sending him into a nearby tree, knocking him out and sending him to the ground, unmoving.

The entire incident left Sarah's heartbeat accelerating, and her breathing fast at the sudden shock. Glaedr just… attacked him?

Before she could do anything, Glaedr ran past her at a great speed, angered growling bubbling in his throat, and stopped in front of the unconscious Team Aqua member. Without wasting any time, he reached down and grabbed the back of his shirt with his teeth, and pulled him up violently, holding him in his mouth like a rag doll. He then turned around, and ran toward the edge of the cliff that was next to them. Skidding to a halt, he stood at the very edge of the cliff, and held the man over it.

Finally, through all the shock in everything that had happened, Sarah realized what Glaedr was going to do.

"GLAEDR, NO!!!" she screamed, running to him as fast as she could. She saw his body tense and become still at her voice.

When she reached him she put both of her hands on his shoulder and said, "What are you doing!?" Her breathing was fast as she couldn't believe that she was seeing this. Her eyes momentarily glanced down the cliff. The cliff's wall was jagged, reaching two hundred feet before it hit the ground.

Sarah tore her eyes away and looked up at her dragon, her grip on his shoulder tight. She could feel his skin vibrate with anger underneath her palms, and his muscles were as taught as a bowstring. She tried to look him in they eyes, but he stared into the distance ahead of him, as if he didn't know she was there.

Finally, finding a lump of fear in her throat, Sarah said, "Glaedr… what are you doing?"

Finally, Glaedr turned his eyes toward her. He paused, then set the man down in front of him, not being gentle in the process. He then put a heavy foot on the unconscious man's back, as if he didn't want him to get away.

Then, without warning, he lowered his head quickly and put his face right in front of Sarah's.

That was when Sarah realized that it was the most Glaedr had ever scared her.

His eyes looked nothing like the calm and solemn dragon she knew; his pupils were dilated to slits, and they were full of rage. She could see his nostrils flare as he took labored breaths, as if he couldn't breath through all of the anger.

When he spoke, his voice was cold. 'What do you think I'm doing?'

Sarah's heart skipped a beat at the venom in his voice. What… happened to him? Why was he being so…

Then it hit her. Everything had happened so quickly that she hadn't even thought of it; Glaedr hated Team Aqua for what they had done to them, and for what they did to the wild pokemon he helped. She didn't know how he had dealt with it, but now she knew that he had a deep anger that hadn't faded, and now…

"Glaedr…" Sarah started, finding her voice small. "You can't kill him."

Glaedr moved his face closer to hers, making it so any more distance closed would leave their noses touching. 'Give me one reason why I shouldn't.' His voice was challenging.

Sarah felt like her chest would explode. No… there was no way that her dragon, her friend, had just said that. He wanted to kill a human, and he didn't see any reason why he shouldn't.

Sarah felt hot tears fill her eyes at what had just happened. Why had this happened? Why was Glaedr acting this way? It was true that he had a right to be angry, but why would he resort to this?

Sarah forced her tears back, trying to keep her voice from cracking. "Because… it's wrong."

At the comment, Glaedr lifted his head and let a rude 'Ha!' He put his face close to hers again and said, 'Wrong!? Isn't what they do to us wrong!? Aren't the crimes they get away with wrong!?' Sarah just stood there, speechless at his cold reasoning.

When he didn't get an answer, Glaedr reached down and clamped his jaws on the back of the man's shirt, pulling him from underneath his foot, and held him above the cliff.

Sarah didn't know what to do. What could she do? She had never felt this scared… Glaedr was right… Team Aqua did get away with the things that they did. But… did that mean they deserved to…

"Glaedr," Sarah choked, finding the tears now rolling down her cheeks. It seemed to catch the dragon off guard, because he froze, standing still with the man still held over the cliff.

Sarah continued, with her voice cracking as the tears continued to fall. "Glaedr, please, don't do this…" She paused, but he didn't answer.

Sarah felt helpless. She continued, hoping that she could get through to him. "You're right, it's true that they shouldn't get away with what they do… But does that give you the right to kill them?" She knew he could hear her, but he kept his frozen gaze ahead.

"Do you really want to do this? Do you want to live the rest of your life, knowing that you took another life?" Sarah paused to take a deep breath, as she found the tears assault her lungs. "I don't want you to live that way… I don't want you to live with this anger and guilt." The dragon just stood there, making no move.

Sarah feared that he wouldn't listen. She couldn't let him do this. She couldn't let him hurt anyone, not even a Team Aqua member. This one hadn't harmed them; they didn't even know why he was there in the first place. But knowing that Glaedr had such hate for anyone… scared her.

Finally, Sarah didn't know what else to say. She let go of his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing him tightly. "Glaedr, please…" she said, finding her fear trying to burst from her chest. "I'm begging you…"

A few long seconds passed, and Sarah waited. She didn't know what else to do, so she waited for his response.

Finally, she felt him shift under her arms. She loosened her grip and looked up at him, seeing that he began to back away from the cliff.

Letting go of him, Sarah backed a few steps away to give Glaedr room. He made his way backwards until he was a few feet away from the cliff, then started lowering the man down. He gently lay him down on his back, and removed his teeth from his shirt. Sarah watched with great relief. The shock still lingered, but she felt better knowing that he had made the right choice.

Glaedr slowly lifted his head, never taking his eyes off the man. When it was eye level with Sarah, he turned his eyes toward Sarah. She saw that the anger was gone, but they weren't back to normal.

What caught her off guard was that she now saw tears in his eyes, and they were full of shame.

Again, Sarah found herself at a loss for words. He had been so angry, but then he decided against the terrible thing he was about to do. But… now he felt so guilty about what he almost did, he looked completely ashamed.

Taking a small breath, Sarah said, "Glaedr…"

But as soon as the word left her mouth, Glaedr crouched, then took off in flight. He ascended in the air, and disappeared through the treetops.

Sarah watched him go, unable to believe what had just happened. Everything happened so fast. Now, Glaedr had just left. Was he too ashamed to be around them and just needed time to think? Or did he decide that there was so much guilt in his actions that he wasn't coming back?

Sarah was pulled out of her thoughts as she felt something nudge her hand. She looked down to see Saphira looking up at her, her eyes full of sadness and fear.

Sarah hadn't even thought of what the others were doing during the incident because she had been trying to stop Glaedr. She finally turned her head to look at her brother and the other pokemon.

Ignitus was hiding behind William, not in a way of using him as protection, but more out of fear. He was peaking around at Sarah with a look of pure terror and disbelief on his face at what Glaedr had done. Rascal was behind William's leg, shaking like a terrified puppy. William was just standing there, staring at his sister with an almost blank expression. There were no tears in his eyes, but he looked so scared at the events, that he just stood still.

Sarah moved her eyes away, not sure what to do. They were almost to Lavaridge, but she wasn't sure if they should go. Should they wait for Glaedr? Was he even coming back? Should she take everyone to Lavaridge so they wouldn't have to stay here and wonder what was going to happen?

Just then, Sarah turned her head as she heard a rustle and a groan. Her eyes fell onto the Team Aqua member, who was now awake and lifting himself up. Sarah froze as he paused, then lifted himself onto his feet.

The man just stood there as if he was trying to wake up, then looked toward Sarah. As he did, he jumped back and started backing away.

"Geez, are you nuts!?" he said with a rude voice. With that, he turned and ran back through the trees.

Sarah relaxed after he left. Obviously he was fine, and she didn't have to worry about if Glaedr had hurt him.

Now, Sarah had to decide what to do. She knew it would be better to get her brother and pokemon to the next city because it wasn't a good idea for them to stay here. And Glaedr knew where they would be.

If he came back.

Finally decided, Sarah cleared her head a bit and tried to put on a happier face. She had to be the stronger one so her brother wouldn't get too scared. Ignitus would probably depend on her too, although she knew Saphira would be the one helping her. She turned around and approached her brother, finding him shifting a bit since it was the first thing that happened since the attack.

Not sure what else to say, she said, "Let's go."

- - - - -

The group made it to Lavaridge after about a half hour. They all walked in silence, and Sarah was glad. She expected William to ask 'What about Glaedr?' or ask what they were going to do now. But he seemed to shocked by it all, and stayed quiet.

When they reached the town, it was almost dark. Although it was still somewhat early for it to be that dark, Sarah guess it was because the city was behind a mountain. But she just focused on getting them to the Pokemon Center.

When they reached it, Sarah got them a room. There was enough room for them because Glaedr wasn't there, and she didn't want them to stay outside right now. The more comforting area of a room would be better.

After they entered, William lay down on the bottom bunk of the bed, and Rascal lat next to him. Sarah sat on the floor by the bed, all the while thinking about Glaedr.

She had never had to think about things like this before, and it scared her. She knew that he had a lot of anger with Team Aqua, but she never knew it was this bad. Should she have talked to him more about it instead of just assuming that he would be ok? Would anything she had said helped him, and prevented this?

But no, she couldn't just dwell on what she _could_ have done. What she had to focus on was what she could do _now_, and how she could change her future actions to make sure that something like this wouldn't happen again. She would make sure she paid more attention to her pokemon's feelings, and help them in anyway she could.

Sarah still didn't know what to do. Saphira coming over and stood to her as Ignitus plopped down next to Sarah and leaned against her. Sarah rubbed his head and gave him a smile.

Finally, William turned toward Sarah and said, "So… why did Glaedr do that?"

Sarah turned her head and looked at him. She didn't know how to answer him. She knew he was referring to the attack, not that he left.

Sarah turned her body enough so that she was facing William on an angle, but Ignitus stayed right next to her. She paused, trying to decide what she was going to say.

"Well…" Sarah started. "He had a lot of anger toward Team Aqua because they attacked him, and we told him they attacked us." William nodded, but looked confused. "But… why did he attack him?"

Sarah averted her eyes for a second before saying, "Because he had a lot of anger that he hadn't worked out." She paused again, wanting to make sure she worded it right. "It was something bad that he hadn't dealt with, and it just got worse the longer he let it linger." William didn't say anything, but he looked like he understood.

Sarah felt a bit of shame in her next words, but said them so her brother would understand. "I think… it was kind of my fault for not talking to him about it. I figured that he had already worked it out, and that he'd be ok. But I didn't remind myself that that's not good enough. When you have friends, you have to know how they feel, and help them when something is bothering them."

Everything that Sarah said felt somewhat strange. She had always thought these things, but she realized that she hadn't done it much with Glaedr. To her, Glaedr was almost like the adult in the group; the wisest one, and the one who seemed to have it together. But all of this made her realize that he had problems just like they did, and he needed help too. But she hadn't seen it, and she never helped him.

After the thought, she continued. "So, we just have to make sure we're there for him." She glanced at the others. "We have to make sure we're there for each other, and talk to each other when there's a problem."

When she was done, she hoped that she was clear enough. When William nodded, she realized that she was. She looked down at Ignitus, who looked up at her with a smile, as if he had let the situation go. She then looked over to Saphira. She looked at her trainer with a smile in her eyes, and nodded.

After a short silence, William said, "Is he gonna come back?"

Sarah looked away at the question. She was ready to help him, but now she had to wait and see if he would come back so she could.

After a pause, Sarah said, "I guess we'll find out."

- - - - -

Although the events of the day had been shocking, Sarah got everyone to go to bed once it got dark. No one complained, as they didn't really have anything to do, and conversation would be odd as Glaedr would be on their minds.

Sarah stayed on the floor with her pokemon (her pokemon couldn't fit on the bed with her, and she was too used to having them sleep next to her.) Everyone was asleep, but she just couldn't. She was tired from the day just like the others, but she wouldn't be able to sleep until she knew what Glaedr was going to do.

Finally, after lying there for she didn't know how long, Sarah carefully got up. She managed to make her way out the door without waking anyone up. The common room was empty when she got there, other than someone who stood at the counter for late night emergencies. The person just gave her a nod as she passed, and didn't think much of it. The Center's front doors were unlocked, and trainers could leave whenever they wanted to, so going outside wasn't a problem.

As Sarah steeped out into the night air, she felt the luke warm breeze hit her face. It was gentle and welcoming.

After shutting the Center's door, Sarah looked around, finding the only light the bright moon. She wasn't sure where she was going, but she just had a hope that Glaedr would come back, and she couldn't just stay in the Center worrying about him.

So, she set off down the dirt street, the ground slightly cold against her bare feet. She knew it wasn't a good idea to go out by herself; she should have at least brought Saphira. But the dragon probably would have told her to stay, and Sarah didn't want to cause to much commotion and wake everyone else up. She just had to go on her feelings, and see if there was any sign of Glaedr.

When she reached the edge of the town, she started walking through the short, open trail that was just before the mountain trail. She wasn't sure how far she planned on going, but she just decided to check.

Just then, she stopped as she heard a rustle of wind. Her head shot up and she saw a shadow move in the dark sky. The sight made her stomach jolt, and she was prepared to turn and run.

But before she could, she heard another rustle of wind, and the shadow landed a few yards away in front of her. Although it was dark, the moonlight let Sarah know that the shadow was Glaedr.

Feeling great relief, Sarah wanted to run over and hug him. But something told her to stay back. Maybe it was the way he was just standing there with his eyes averted, or maybe she still had a bit of fear lingering from when she had seen him on a rampage.

A silence followed, and nothing could be heard but the singing bug pokemon somewhere in the trees. Sarah thought it might be better for him to talk first, so she waited.

Finally, he did. Without looking at her, he said, '…I am sorry.'

Sarah felt relieved to hear his voice, but the shame that was in it made her feel terrible. But she remained quiet, not wanting him to stop if he had more to say.

After a few more seconds, he said with much sincerity, 'I am sorry for my actions earlier. You were right; I had no place in what I did.'

Sarah felt tears enter her eyes, but she didn't know why. Maybe because she was so glad that he had come back, or that he had realized what he had done, or both. Either way, she wanted to make sure that she was there for him this time.

Finally, making her way to him, Sarah said, "I know you were mad… that wasn't your fault." She came to a stop a couple of feet in front of him, looking up at him. He still kept his gaze away from her.

Sarah averted her eyes, then looked back at him. "And, I wanted to say that I was sorry too."

The comment made Glaedr look at her. It was the first time that Sarah saw him look so confused.

She continued, wanting to make sure he understood. "It was my fault that I didn't talk to you about your feelings with Team Aqua," she started, now finding the tears in her eyes hard to mask. "I should have talked to you about it, then maybe you wouldn't have let so much anger bottle up."

Glaedr shook his head, his look of confusion gone. 'I am supposed to be there for all of you. I have protected you all, and I let my weakness cloud my thinking.'

Sarah also shook her head. "We're all supposed to be there for each other. I wasn't there for you about Team Aqua. I should have helped you more." A silence followed.

"I'm sorry," Sarah said.

Through the tears that were now blurring her vision, and the little bit of moonlight that let her see the dragon in front of her, Sarah saw Glaedr smile.

'It is alright,' he said. 'I am sorry,' he repeated.

Sarah smiled, then closed the distance between them by wrapping her arms around Glaedr's neck and hugging him tightly. Glaedr lowered his head and rubbed her cheek, returning the hug.

Although Sarah had feared that she wouldn't see him again, she felt great relief that Glaedr was back. They had both learned a lesson in being there for each other, and they knew they'd never forget it.


	17. Glaedr's Story

Sarah backed away from Glaedr, releasing her tight hold on him, and wiped her eyes. She looked back up at him with a smile, which he returned.

"So," she started, feeling a great happiness fill her chest as she looked at the dragon that came back, "Do you want to tell me what you did before we met?"

Glaedr blinked, and continued to smile. 'Isn't it getting late?' he said. It wasn't that he didn't want to share his story; he was just a bit surprised that she asked in the middle of the night. Well, maybe it was a little weird that he found her wandering in the middle of the night looking for him, but he understood why.

Sarah just smiled at the comment. "Well, I think I've waited long enough in asking you about your life. I don't think I should wait any longer."

Glaedr seemed to let his hesitation go, and nodded. Seeming to know that his story would take a while, he lay down and curled his wings down onto his body. Sarah followed suit and sat next to him, positioning herself so her shoulder was leaning against him, and she was looking at his face. She looked at him expectantly.

Glaedr looked at her for a few seconds, deciding where he should start. When he did, he started telling his story.

- - - - -

A young Tropius flapped his wings to keep himself afloat as he flew above the tops of the trees. He looked down to see what lay at the bottom of the forest. Although the only thing he could see was the ground being pulled from underneath him as he continued his fast flight, he didn't mind. He just enjoyed the feeling of being in the sky, as any other dragon would.

He hadn't been on his own long. He was still young, but fully grown and ready to be independent. As he had spent more time living by himself, he had found that he enjoyed it. Not that he didn't enjoy the company of other pokemon; he did. He just liked the feeling of being able to explore as he pleased.

Lifting his view so he could look ahead, the dragon saw something in an opening in the woods. He squinted his eyes to try and make out what it was, but he was still too far away. A curiosity overcame him, making him want to know what it was. He lowered his flight, and increased his speed. He could no longer see the small area, but knew it's location and headed for it.

As he neared the area, he slowed and began to make a descent toward the forest floor. Although he was curious, his natural instincts told him to be cautious. True that it was common sense for any wild pokemon, but he had a natural wisdom and usually knew what to do. He slipped through the tree tops with a whisper of air as his wings brushed the leaves, and landed softly and quietly on the ground. He folded them against his body, and looked in the direction he had seen the curious sight. He had landed a few yards back, just to make sure the area was safe. He didn't feel that there was any danger around him, so he began walking forward.

Just ahead, he could se the opening through the trees. He came to a stop at the trees' edges, keeping himself concealed behind the leaves, his brown and green skin camouflaging him against them. He turned his head silently to the right, and saw the outline of the creature coming toward the area in front of him. Patiently, he waited for it to come close enough to see.

As it neared, the young dragon's eyes caught sight of a few more creatures following behind the first. They appeared to be running in the same direction as the other, but he didn't know why. His eyes locked onto the creatures with a childlike interest, and his mind began to come up with idea of what they were doing. Perhaps they were a litter of pokemon, and were playing a game of tag? Or maybe a pokemon had wandered onto another's territory, and it was being chased off?

But as he wondered, the first one was now close enough to see. It didn't look like any pokemon he had seen; actually, he had never seen anything like it before.

But then it struck him; he had never seen one before, but he had been told about them.

They were humans.

As the realization hit him, the Tropius was caught with a great inquisitiveness. So this was a human; the ones that caught and trained wild pokemon as their partners and friends. As with any wild pokemon, his parents had told him about them. True that they had never been human trained pokemon, but it was impossible to be a pokemon, wild or caught, and not know about humans and pokemon battles. The thought had intrigued him, and he wondered what it would be like to have a human partner, helping them fight battles against other pokemon. He had been practicing his own fighting skills, out of survival acts and in preparation for the possibility of someday finding a human to be his trainer.

The young dragon kept still as the humans approached. As they were running, they were reaching the area around him quickly. As the first one came near, the one he believed was being chased for whatever reason, he noticed his face. It looked frightened, and occasionally peaked over his shoulder at his pursuers. They were catching up very quickly.

The sight puzzled the young dragon. Was this human in trouble? Should he see if he could help?

Before he could decide, his head jerked to the right as he heard someone from the pursuing group shout, "Hey, stop!" Another voice followed suit in saying, "Give that pokemon back!"

The Tropius blinked at the comments. What was going on?

Before he could try and figure it out, the humans caught up with the first, right in front of the dragon's hiding spot, and grabbed his arms forcefully. He watched as the restrained one began to demand that they let him go, and one of the others forcibly snatched something from his hand.

"Don't move!" the human said. He now had the object in his hand, and the dragon could see that t was a white and red ball. He had no idea what it was, and why they had taken it from the human.

"What makes you think you can just steal a pokemon from someone?" one of the others demanded as he held the thief's hands behind his back.

The Tropius blinked in surprise. Steal? A Pokemon?

The entire scene was something the dragon hadn't expected. He felt a strange feeling come over him as he watched the thief try to escape the grasp of the human restraining him. Humans stole pokemon?

He watched as the man with the ball in his hand backed away. He stood still, then lightly tossed the ball in front of him. A beam of red light came from it, and in front of the human formed a white and purple rat pokemon. The small rat shook its head, and looked around. It caught sight of the thief, and squealed with fright, running behind the man that had released him.

The man turned and bent down. He patted the Rattata's head and said, "It's ok. We'll get you back to your trainer soon, ok?" The small pokemon glanced at the thief, then back at the man and nodded.

The pokemon disappeared back into the ball with another beam of light, and the group of humans began to walk back the way they came. The Tropius watched, his mind still confused at what he had just seen.

A human stole a pokemon? Why? The realization was hard for him to accept. He had been told about humans, how they would make pokemon their partners, their friends. But this human had stolen one.

Shaking his head of the thoughts, he looked toward the humans. They were starting to disappear from sight, but he could still see the thief. He felt an anger surge in his chest as he watched; humans would steal pokemon. What about being friends with them? What made them think that a pokemon would submit to anyone who had obtained it in such a terrible way?

He couldn't think of an answer. Maybe his thoughts about humans had been wrong. They didn't care about pokemon. Sure, he had only one example, but it was one that he never thought he would come across. The other man had been kind to the pokemon, but how many were like that? If any human could steal a pokemon, how would he know which ones would truly be his friends?

He didn't want to figure it out now. Instead, he looked back at the group that was almost out of sight. Before turning around and leaving, he noted that the thief wore a uniform of blue.

The dragon spent the next few days on his regular exploring schedule, but his mind didn't let him forget what he saw. It had been something that he knew he had to figure out; would he be able to trust humans? Would it be worth confronting one to be their partner? He didn't know if he would ever know, but hoped that his instincts would eventually tell him.

As the weeks went by, the pokemon decided to monitor any human he saw during his exploring. He would see what they were doing, and if they had any pokemon with them, see if that pokemon was there by their will.

He had encountered a few humans in that time. Sometimes it was just a human taking a walk through the woods, and he left them alone. But occasionally, he would run into one who had a pokemon with them. He would watch them as he stayed out of their sight, and check the behavior of both of them, seeing if it was a willful friendship.

And every time, it was.

Sometimes they would just be sitting, resting from a days travel, and they would play games with each other. Some of the pokemon followed the human, and some of them came from the red and white balls, which he had learned from listening to conversation, were called pokeballs. He wasn't sure why, but the look of the balls wasn't something that he liked. Although he had never been in one, the look of being inside a ball all day, not being able to breathe the fresh air and see the outside was something that he didn't like.

But he was happy with what he saw between the humans and pokemon. He could see how much they loved being with each other, and how much of a friendship they had. Although he knew that some humans couldn't be trusted, he decided that not all of them were like the thief. He loved the sight of the trainers and pokemon, and began to wish he had the same. He considered showing himself to some of them, but he never did. He wasn't sure why; he just never felt like it was the right time. He trusted his instincts and, although they told him that these were friendly humans, he knew that he would know if he saw one that would be his friend.

Months went by, and the Tropius continued watching humans. He wasn't sure why he sill did it; maybe because it was something he enjoyed, or maybe because he hoped to see one that his instincts would tell him he could show himself to. But they never did. But, he decided to be patient, knowing that if there was a human friend for him, he would find them.

He had also grown much over the time. Although his body had finished growing, his mind continued. He had more wisdom in many things; on how to survive, how to identify when something was wrong, and more knowledge on the pokemon and people around him. Although this new wisdom kept his mind alert for more humans like the thief he had seen, he always reminded himself that there were more humans who loved pokemon.

One day, on one of his usual flights, some humans and pokemon caught his eyes. He didn't think much of it, as he had seen many of them, and he considered going to watch them.

But as he neared, his heart leapt, and his nostrils flared with anger.

He saw a group of blue-uniformed people, surrounding a pack of pokemon.

Unconsciously, a growl bubbled in his throat, and his anger rose. He had not seen one of these humans since the first time, but he was not happy to see them again. He could see them getting ready to attack some wild pokemon, their own pokemon closing in on them. He snorted with anger. They had pokemon that would do as their terrible masters said? How could any of them listen? Why were they attacking these pokemon?

He couldn't stand it. He would not see them be hurt because of these humans. His fighting instincts kicked in, and he prepared himself for battle. With a roar, he sped his flight and made his way to the area. When he was above it, he locked his wings and hurtled toward the ground like a lance. When he was just feet above the ground, he opened his wings, letting a great amount of air abruptly slow him, then land heavily on the ground, right in the middle of the circle of humans.

Lifting his head, he let a great roar erupt from his throat. As he closed his mouth, he could hear the screams of the humans, and he looked down, watching them and their pokemon start to back away from the raged dragon.

The Tropius took the momentary pause to turn to the wild pokemon and tell them to run. As soon as he did, they turned and ran toward the edge of the woods. Luckily, the fear that came from the enemy gave them all enough time to escape.

Satisfied, the dragon turned back to the humans and pokemon. It was now that he realized he was caught in the middle, and they were all glaring at him with rage.

The humans seemed to regain their composure, and smile at the dragon like he was a cornered rabbit.

"Get that Tropius!" one of them shouted.

But it didn't frighten him. He glared right back, growling deeply as he showed rows of ivory teeth. He could fight them all; he _would _fight them all. He would show them that it wasn't right to treat pokemon the way they did. They wouldn't catch him; they would get a sample of what happens when they try to force pokemon to do something they don't want to do.

The pokemon, mostly Mightyenas, did as their masters said, preparing themselves for battle. They closed in on the dragon, growling loudly as if he was their trapped prey. But the Tropius waited, daring in his mind for one of them to make a move.

Faintly, he heard a whoosh from behind him. One of them had leapt toward him, its teeth ready to sink into his side.

But he was ready. He turned with great speed, and thrust his head into the pokemon's stomach, sending it into a nearby tree. As it hit the ground, another one leapt at his neck, and the dragon opened his mouth, releasing a beam of green light that he had been charging. It hit the pokemon with great force, and it hit the ground, unmoving.

But as he closed his mouth, he felt one of the pokemon behind him jump onto his back. He roared and turned his head toward it, grabbing its tail with his teeth and throwing it to the side. Just as he let go, another jumped toward him, ramming its body into him with force. The dragon growled at the hard hit, and turned on the wolf. But as he did, he felt another attack hit his other side, leaving a great pain as it came in contact.

Those two distractions were all it took for him to be overwhelmed.

Before he knew what was happening, the pokemon jumped at him. They were attacking with hard tackles, shadow balls, and claws. He was hit repeatedly by the attacks, roaring as he tried to thwart them off, with little success. During the struggle, one of the wolves jumped onto his back and, with a great swipe of his paw, slashed at the dragon's neck, leaving a deep, stinging cut in his skin.

The Tropius roared. There were too many, and the attacks were overwhelming him. He could feel hot blood run down his neck from the injury, and his body was being thrashed horribly, and it felt like every inch had been attacked.

Finally, he used what energy his aching body would let him. He thrust his head, throwing some of the wolves off of him, and kicked his feet at the ones in front of him. The moment gave him enough free room to jump into the air and flap his wings, taking him into flight. He heard the pokemon bark loudly and the humans shout, but he ignored them. He concentrated on trying to get away from them, trying to find a safe place to land.

As soon as he had gotten far enough so that he couldn't hear them anymore, the Tropius realized just how much his body hurt. Every flap of his wings was agony, and he constantly winced as he moved his limbs. The cut on his neck continued to bleed, and his vision became blurry through the pain. He could barely see anything in front of him, and he didn't know where he was going. But he felt that he wasn't far away enough yet; he had to keep going.

He didn't know how long he was flying; the only thing that kept him going was the thought that the longer he did, the farther away from the people he would be. But even that wouldn't keep him going anymore. He finally felt his body descend of its own accord, and the blurred vision of the treetops came in front of him. Finally, his wings refused to flap anymore, and they fell to his side. He felt the leaves brush against his skin as he went through the trees, and prepared himself for the landing.

He then crashed into the ground on his stomach with a great impact. It sent pangs through his body, and he roared at the pain. He lay still, waiting for the pounding of his muscles to stop, and kept his eyes closed tightly.

Finally, the pain softened. He still felt it, but he couldn't move. Just the thought was terrible to him. He wasn't sure what he was going to do now, or just how bad his condition was. Would he be ok without help?

But his mind was too tired to decide. It all happened so fast, and he didn't know what he was going to do. He hoped that letting himself rest would give him enough energy to get up and tend to his injuries, but somehow, his instincts told him that it wouldn't be enough. His bleeding neck wouldn't stop unless it was taken care of soon, but he couldn't move.

But his rushing mind wouldn't let him think anymore. He just had to rest, and hope that he would wake in time to help himself. With a tired sigh, he closed his eyes and passed out.

The dragon was pulled out of his slumber as he felt something kick his neck. He growled with pain as a natural reaction, followed by the sound of a thump. He lay still, wishing that he wasn't awake, as he could again feel his sore body. He kept his eyes closed, not sure what had disturbed his sleep, but decided it didn't matter. If it was a wild pokemon, it would go away.

His mind was fuzzy, but he started to hear a faint sound. It sounded like someone was talking, but he wasn't sure. It was followed by a silence, one that made him think that he had imagined the inaudible words.

But seconds later, he heard a few scuffs made against the ground, and something touched his neck. Whatever it was applied pressure on his cut, and his reaction was a pained groan. He heard more words that he couldn't make out, and it was followed by another silence. Finally, he decided that he had to know what was going on. If something was disturbing him in his rest and touching his injuries, he had to know why.

Slowly, he opened his eyes. As he did, he saw the faint outline of something next to his neck. The forest was dark, and his vision was blurry, so it was hard to see. But he kept his eyes open until his vision cleared, and he was surprised at what he saw.

A human sat next to him. A young, female human, who appeared to have her hands on his cut. He looked into her eyes, as if questioning what she was doing. Her eyes looked back at him, looking very frightened at the sight of him.

The dragon wasn't sure why his instincts decided to bother him at a time like this, but he was surprised to feel what he had been waiting to feel. He didn't know why he had to feel it now, as it was so hard to think, but his instincts were clear; this human was a friend.

But that was all he had time to think. He finally became too exhausted to keep his eyes open anymore, and closed them as he passed out.

- - - - -

'And you know what happened from there.'

Sarah sat where she was, looking at the dragon. It was a big surprise to hear about his life, especially when it was full of things she didn't even think about before. It was a big wake up call, considering that she just saw Glaedr as a wise, strong and gentle dragon, and assumed that he had always been that way. Well, he had always been that way, but it took him time to mature into the personality he had now. And, he had another history with Team Aqua, which gave more reason for his hatred for them.

Just goes to show how little I knew, Sarah thought.

"Wow." That wasn't exactly what she wanted to say, but it was all that came out.

Glaedr just chuckled at her reaction. He blinked, looking at her with the solemn eyes that she knew, and said, 'Well, thank you. I am glad that my story is a 'wow'.'

Sarah chuckled. There was the dragon she knew. And now that she knew more about his life, she knew him on a whole new level.

'Now,' Glaedr said, leaving his sarcasm out of his tone, 'I think it is time for you to get some rest.'

Sarah didn't want to leave, but eh was right; if her brother or one of the pokemon woke up and found that she was missing, they would worry. Although Saphira and Ignitus would watch William, she knew it wasn't a good idea to just leave them there.

"Ok," she agreed. She left her spot next to Glaedr and stood up. Glaedr followed suit.

Before Sarah could ask, Glaedr said, 'I will stay outside tonight, and meet you in the Pokemon Center tomorrow.'

Sarah wasn't sure if it was necessary, but she looked at him teasing look, as if to say, 'You're not leaving this time?'

Knowingly, Glaedr chuckled. 'No.'

That was good enough for Sarah. She gave him a quick hug, and said goodnight, then made her way back to the Pokemon Center.

Sarah quietly opened the door to their room in the Pokemon Center. Everyone was still sleeping, so she slipped inside, closing the door behind her with a small creak. She made her way to her bed on the floor, and carefully lay down between Saphira and Ignitus. She carefully pulled the blanket over herself, while making sure it stayed on the dragons. When she was positioned, she looked over at her Charmeleon. He just lay there, sleeping peacefully. She then turned to check on her Shelgon. She lay in a deep sleep.

Satisfied, Sarah closed her eyes in preparation for sleep. She felt that everything with Glaedr would be fine, and she was glad that she had learned more about him.

Just then, Sarah almost jumped as she heard a voice next to her.

'Is all well with Glaedr?'

Sarah opened her eyes and caught sight of Saphira's looking back at her.

Sarah blinked at the dragon. She had her eyes open as if she had never been asleep. Sarah chuckled inwardly. She knows everything…

Sarah smiled and said, "Yeah." She saw the smile in the dragon's eyes, making her own smile widen.

Without another word, Saphira closed her eyes and went back to sleep. Well, I think she's asleep… Sarah chuckled to herself. Although she hadn't told Saphira that she had talked to Glaedr, she knew. She seemed to have another sense for certain things.

Looking forward to the next day, Sarah closed her eyes and went to sleep.

- - - - -

The next morning, Sarah woke everyone and told them that Glaedr came back. After explaining what happened, William didn't hesitate to whoop with excitement, with Rascal and Ignitus following suit. Getting ready didn't take long because of the excitement, and they made it to the common room in no time.

Sure enough, as they entered the room, they saw Glaedr standing outside the front doors. They went outside and greeted him, William giving him a big hug. The action made Glaedr chuckle, and he nudged William's cheek playfully. Ignitus waved at him with a big smile, and Rascal just wagged his tail as usual. When his eyes met with Saphira's, no words were said, but a silent exchange was made, where each one knew exactly what the other wanted to say. Sarah watched with slight amusement, wondering how in the world they could do that. They had a connection through the feelings they had for each other, and words weren't always needed. Then again, sometimes she and Saphira had the same thing. She guessed that it was just something that could be developed between friends or someone you care about.

Seeing as the reunion was easy, Sarah figured it would be easy to get back into a regular schedule, so they headed inside for breakfast.

After everyone was situated at a table and enjoying the meal, Sarah thought to herself about what they would do now. She watched the others as they talked amongst themselves. Mostly William did the talking, asking Ignitus yes and no questions so Sarah didn't have to translate for him. Saphira and Glaedr stayed on the floor and ate in silence, although Sarah got a few peeks of them looking at each other.

She wasn't sure what they would do now; they arrived in the city at a very awkward time. She figured it would be a good idea to explore it a little, since they hadn't got to see much of it. Although everything seemed to have calmed down since the earlier day's incident, she still felt a bit of an inclination to rest. It sounded like a good idea to have a break from their traveling and training, just so they could spend better time together. Sure, they spent a lot of it together when they were walking to the next city, but it seemed like they needed a time when they could rest.

Looking around as she thought, Sarah noticed a sign next to the Pokemon Center's reception desk. She hadn't noticed it before because it was late when they got their, and she hadn't been thinking about anything but Glaedr. Now that she saw it, she saw that it said:

Lavaridge Pokemon Center

Also Home to the Beautiful Hot Springs!

After reading it, Sarah smiled. That sounded like a good idea.

She turned back to the others and said, "Hey guys," Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at her. She turned her head toward the sign and pointed with her fork. "What do you guys think about that?"

They all turned their heads and looked at the sign. William was the first one to have a reaction.

"That sounds cool!" he said, clearly liking that it meant time in water.

Saphira looked at Sarah next. 'It sounds very relaxing.'

'I agree,' Glaedr said.

Saran then looked at Ignitus. He turned his head away from the sign and looked at her, seemingly puzzled.

Sarah was confused at his reaction. Maybe he just didn't like the sound of the water?

"What's the matter?" she asked.

Ignitus blinked. 'I can't read.'

Oh. Somehow, the thought was a bit funny to Sarah. Not because he was illiterate, but just because she hadn't even thought about it before.

But she held back the laugh, knowing that the Charmeleon would have thought the laugh was directed at him. Instead, she said, "It says there's Hot Springs here."

Ignitus nodded his head, saying, 'Oh…'

Now Sarah was a bit intrigued. She hoped it didn't sound rude, but she had to ask. "You can't read?"

Ignitus seemed a bit embarrassed to admit it, but said, 'No.'

Then again, why did she just assume he could read? He had been a wild pokemon before he met her, so how could he have learned? Saphira knew how to read because Sarah taught her, and Glaedr-

"Wait a minute," Sarah said, turning her attention to her Tropius. "_You_ can read?"

Glaedr nodded with a bit of a smile. 'Yes.'

Sarah blinked. He was a wild pokemon too. How did he learn?

He seemed to be able to read her question without her saying anything, and said, 'My parents taught me. Don't ask how _they_ knew, because I don't know.'

"Uh-huh," Sarah said, not really sure what else to say. Actually, she found some humor in it. Glaedr had told her a lot about his life the night before, but didn't tell her the interesting story of how he learned to read.

Putting on a teasing smirk, she said, "Well, I didn't know you could read. So much for that 'life story' I heard."

Glaedr caught the sarcasm and chuckled.

Other than Saphira, the others were confused. They looked at Sarah, and turned their heads in unison to look at Glaedr, as if the trainer and dragon found humor in some non-existent thing. Sarah noticed, and put aside her sarcasm, saying, "Oh, we'll tell you later." The others looked at each other, and shrugged.

After they were done with their breakfast and strange conversation, they headed over to the reception desk to ask about the Hot Springs. They found that it was a free relaxation area that anyone could go in, including pokemon. So, they decided to get ready to spend their morning in the hot springs.

After the kids changed into their swimming outfits (and Sarah grabbed her book because Ignitus would need something to do if he got too bored), they headed back to the common room. They talked to the woman at the counter, and they were led through a door behind the desk.

After going down a short hallway, they opened the door, revealing the springs. It was bigger than they thought. The room had to be at least one hundred square feet. As they walked in, the steam from the water touched their faces, leaving that usual sense of drowsiness that come with heat. The pool was made of the natural rock around it, and was different depths in different spots. The room was almost like a bowl, as there was no ceiling, and the walls were about twenty feet high all around them.

The group made their way to the edge of the pool, the steam intoxicating theirs senses with relaxing effects. William was the first to step in, bringing Rascal in with him. Sarah went in after him, followed by Saphira and Glaedr. Ignitus watched them, finding a place to sit next to the edge.

The kids sat down in the water, resting their backs against the edge. The warm water felt wonderful, filling their senses with satisfaction, and relaxing all of their muscles. Saphira sat next to Sarah, and Glaedr curled up and lay in the water in front of them.

For a few minutes, no one said anything. They just enjoyed the water, keeping to themselves as they rested.

They spent the morning in the hot springs. During the time, Glaedr told the others what he had told Sarah the night before, and they even got a small story from Ignitus. It wasn't as long and detailed as Glaedr's, but he basically said that he had been separated from his parents a few weeks before they met. He heard some kind of struggle in the middle of the night, and he hid. The next day, they were gone, and he didn't see them again. He spent the time by himself looking for them and hoping that they would come back, but they never did. He was sad the time he was by himself, guessing that they had been attacked by a wild pokemon and they weren't coming back. He survived easily by himself for a while, and ended up straying into a part of the woods where Spearows kept their nests. He ran for a while after they attacked, but they cornered him, and that was when Sarah and the group showed up.

They left the Springs for lunch, and explored the town for the rest of the day. They settled down that night, deciding that the next day they would keep up their training, but just stay in the town for a while. They liked the feeling of being able to rest from their constant traveling, and that they were able to learn more about each other.

- - - - -

Sorry for the long wait on this chapter. I know I said I'd try not to make any more long delays, but when I'm low on inspiration, it's harder to write than you think. But I'm glad that people are still interested in this story, and I plan to finish it. A review would be greatly appreciated, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

And as another small note, just assume that the group bathes and brushes their teeth and all that other stuff more than I put in the story. Sometimes it can be a pain to write that in all the time.


	18. The Growth of A Dragon

Three days went by at a reasonable pace. Sarah hadn't expected them to stay in Lavaridge that long, but she realized that a long rest was something they needed. It gave them a better chance to learn more about each other and slow the seemingly fast traveling pace that they had been going at. It was a new and relaxing change to think that they didn't have to leave at a certain time. And it had a great impact on them. They learned more about each other and became closer through the time they spent together. Sarah even started to teach Ignitus how to read. William had insisted on helping, and Sarah gladly let him. It helped the progress go by faster. But, she also knew that William just wanted to spend extra time with the dragon. He still had a bond with Sarah that he couldn't have with anyone else, but, out of all of her dragons, William had formed the closest bond with Ignitus. She figured it made sense, since they were both young, and enjoyed doing things together. By the third day, Ignitus was able to read the entire alphabet without help, and even practiced writing the letters in the sand with his claw as they rested after a training session. He was able to read a few words too, but he still had a ways to go. Although the days were ones of rest, they did train everyday. They became stronger with each session; their accuracy improved, their endurance increased, and Saphira even learned a new move. William was always there to help of course, but he was mostly excited as he was able to understand Rascal speak more and more each day.

It was a bit strange how the town began to feel a bit like a home. They hadn't stayed in any town as long as they had stayed here, and they began to get accustomed to it. The room they stayed in began to feel homey, and they were beginning to feel regretful that they would have to leave. But as they reminded themselves that they would be back on their adventure, they began to feel less sad about it, and more excited.

Thanks to the training sessions they had, Sarah felt that they were ready to get the Lavaridge Town badge. They had stopped by the Gym and looked at the outside, but they never went in, deciding that they would battle when they felt ready. And finally, they decided that they were.

As they all entered the battle arena at Lavaridge Gym, they practically ignored the size of the room, already knowing what the size would be. Instead, they all kept their minds on the battle ahead, making sure that they were ready.

As they stood in the middle of the arena, the Gym Leader, Flannery, approached them. Sarah vaguely remembered her picture from the computer when she checked out the Gym Leaders in Dewford. She knew she wouldn't forget the fiery red hair, but she didn't remember many of the other features.

As the leader came into view, Sarah saw that she looked to be about seventeen. _That's young for a Gym Leader,_ she thought. _If a seventeen year old can be a licensed Gym Leader, then she must be tough._

As Flannery approached, she greeted them with a warm smile, much like most of the other leaders had, and shook Sarah's hand, saying, "Hi, I'm Flannery."

Sarah nodded. "I'm Sarah."

"Pleased to meet you," Flannery said sincerely, releasing Sarah's hand.

"You too," Sarah said. _Wow… she's really nice,_ Sarah thought. Then again, she reminded herself that her first Gym Battle was against a nice leader, but she was fierce in battle. _Guess we're up for round two._

After the introductions, each trainer headed for their assigned positions. As Sarah stood in her spot, she reminded herself that this Gym was one for Fire type pokemon. She started thinking of some strategies that her pokemon could use as the judge positioned himself.

The judge raised a flag, saying, "This will be a two on two battle, substitutions allowed! First trainer to defeat both opposing pokemon wins!"

As usual, Sarah watched as the Gym Leader chose her pokemon first. As the pokeball opened, a Torkoal formed from the beam of light, as Flannery called, " Go, Blazer!" His black shell looked as hard as a rock, his skin as hot as the fire that erupted from his nostrils. He watched the challenger expectantly for the pokemon that would face him.

Sarah thought about her choice carefully. Although Glaedr was a great fighter, she would only use him if necessary, wanting to avoid causing serious injury because of the enemy's type advantage. She figured that either of her other pokemon would do just fine, but decided to save fighting fire with fire for last.

"Go, Saphira!" The Shelgon made her way to the middle as fast as her small legs would take her. The pokemon positioned themselves, waiting for the ok to start.

The judge swung the flag. "Let the battle begin!"

"Blazer, Flamethrower!"

"Saphira, Protect!"

As the turtle pokemon's fiery blaze reached the dragon, Saphira put a blue wall in front of herself. The hot flames hit it head on, spreading across it before flying upwards, completely missing its target. Sarah smiled, glad that Saphira had learned the new move during their last training session.

Just as the protect faded, Sarah quickly shouted, "Dragonbreath!" She wanted to take the chance to get a hit in before the enemy knew what had happened.

As the blue stream left Saphira's mouth, Blazer seemed to still be in a state of confusion on why his attack had gone skyward, and was hit in the chest with the attack. It sent him skidding back, making him dig his claws into the ground to stop himself, grunting with discomfort at the hard blast.

As Saphira held the attack, Flannery called, "Sludge Bomb!"

Blazer ground his teeth, trying to use the attack and escape the vicious Dragonbreath. As he opened his own mouth, he managed to lower his head into the stream, letting loose the poisonous sludge in an attempt to push it back. Although Saphira could keep the attack going well, it wasn't enough to stop Blazer. He pushed his head forward, breaking through the Dragonbreath, and sending the ball of sludge right into the enemy's unprotected face.

Saphira roared as her visions was blinded, backing away as the sludge stung her face. She shook her head, sending some of it to the side, but there was still enough to block her vision. Blazer took the advantage and released another Flamethrower.

"Protect!" Sarah shouted. She felt pangs of sympathy on her own face as she saw the dragon try to get the goo off, but tried to concentrate on the battle and stop the oncoming attack.

Saphira heard her trainer's words, and put up the blue shield. She heard the fiery whoosh of the flames as the made contact with it, and she took the moment to shake her head again, managing to get the rest of the sludge off her face.

As the protect faded, Sarah shouted, "Headbutt!" The Shelgon put on a burst of speed, and surprised the enemy by slamming into his chest, sending him backwards and landing heavily on his side a few yards away.

"Dragonbreath!" Sarah shouted. Now was the perfect time to attack, and possibly finish off this pokemon.

But Saphira didn't attack. She swayed a bit, as if she was about to faint. Sarah was surprised to see this sudden change in battle behavior, and she started to worry.

Blazer grunted from the blow he received, and began to get back onto his feet. As he did, Sarah started to panic. They had lost their chance at a good attack, and Saphira wasn't fighting.

Then it hit her; _She's poisoned!_

She should have thought of that. Poison type moves, like Sludge Bomb, could sometimes give the victim a poison that would steadily weaken them until they were too weak to fight. She started to panic as she realized that Saphira might lose.

Blazer got back onto his feet, and looked at his opponent. He seemed to realize that the enemy was inflicted with the venom, and decided to take action quickly so he could finish her off easily. With a thrust of his head, he shot a hot Flamethrower at the dragon, which hit her in the face, as she had no time to stop the attack from coming. Her eyes stayed closed tightly as the fire stopped, her face now burning with the hit and the poison that still stung her.

"One more Flamethrower!" Flannery called, a triumphant tone in her voice. Blazer did as she said, throwing another flame in the enemy's direction.

Sarah didn't know if Saphira could still attack, but she had to try. One more attack would knock her out. "Protect!"

Although Saphira could barely think through the pain, she was able to hear the command. She put up the wall, again stopping the oncoming attack, and, as if she had been programmed to do so, fired a Dragonbreath as soon as the wall faded.

Well, one thing that Sarah was thankful for was that, no matter how much damage Saphira took, she could always take her enemy by surprise. For the second time, Blazer didn't expect the blue stream to follow the Protect, and was hit in the face with great force, being sent rolling onto his side. Saphira couldn't hold the attack anymore because of her diminishing energy, so she stopped. But they were glad to see that the attack had been enough.

"Blazer is unable to battle! The winner is Saphira!"

"Good job, Saphira!" Sarah called as Flannery recalled her Torkoal. Saphira didn't answer, but instead grunted, letting Sarah know that she heard her.

_One down, one to go. _

Seeming to be unfazed by the defeat, Flannery confidently pulled out a second pokeball, saying challengingly, "Get ready for some real fire!"

"Go, Vixen!" As the pokeball opened, a Ninetales appeared. Her beige fur was silky and smooth, covering what looked like the body of a large, beautiful fox. She stood on her four legs, fanning her tails as if they were something of beauty that needed to be displayed. Her red eyes pierced into the enemy, ready to fight.

Sarah wasn't sure what she should do. Saphira was poisoned, so should she recall her? Would it be better to just let her fight as much as she could until she lost her energy?

But before she could decide, and before the judge could give the ok to battle, Saphira swayed, and her small legs gave way underneath her.

The judge raised the flag. "Saphira is unable to battle!"

Sarah quickly made her way out to the Shelgon. She knelt down and checked to see if she was awake. Her eyes were closed, but she made an occasional wince, signifying her consciousness.

"Hey, can you stand?" Sarah asked. She felt bad for the dragon's suffering, and hoped it wasn't too painful.

Saphira opened her eyes, and said, 'Yes.'

Sarah nodded. "Good." To make light of the situation, she joked, "Cause if you couldn't, I'd have to get your pokeball. I can't lift you anymore."

Saphira chuckled silently. 'Quite clever,' she said mockingly.

"I try."

After helping the dragon onto her feet, Sarah walked Saphira back to her brother. She told him to get an antidote out of her bag and use it on Saphira so she would be more comfortable until they got to a Pokemon Center, then went back to the challenger's circle.

Well, she knew her choice for her last pokemon was obvious.

"Go, Ignitus!"

The Charmeleon wasted no time in making his way to face the enemy, and waited patiently for the battle to start.

"Let the battle begin!"

"Ignitus, Metal Claw!"

"Vixen, Quick Attack!"

Just as the Charmeleon's claws began to glow, Vixen moved with an unseen amount of speed, slamming her body into his stomach before he could do anything. He landed on his back with a grunt.

"Toxic!" Flannery shouted.

Vixen thrust her head in an attempt to cover the dragon with the poisonous goo. Ignitus's eyes went wide, and he rolled to the side, just in time to let the attack splat onto the ground, missing him completely. He managed to jump back onto his feet and make another attempt at his failed attack. This time, he was able to swipe the fox pokemon's side, causing a squealing roar of pain to come from the pokemon.

"Iron Tail!"

Ignitus took the enemy's hesitation to cast the silvery sheen onto his tail, and swinging it hard, knocking Vixen in the stomach and sending her rolling a few yards away.

"Yes!" Sarah shouted. The pair of effective attacks had done a great deal of damage, and she was sure that victory would be easy.

As Vixen began to stand, Ignitus prepared another Metal Claw and started running toward her, seeming to know that it wouldn't take much more to win.

But Flannery didn't look worried at all. Actually, she was smiling as if it was Ignitus who had taken the hard hits.

As Vixen positioned herself into a sitting position, Flannery shouted, "Overheat!"

Sarah's stomach jumped. Last time she heard, that was the most powerful fire attack in existence.

Ignitus seemed to catch the idea of the powerful attack, and involuntarily came to a halt, watching the enemy with wide eyes. His hesitation was all the time the enemy needed. A hot, red aura surrounded her body, and a single, searing beam shot right into her enemy's chest, knocking him onto his back as he roared in pain.

"Hyper Beam!" Flannery shouted.

As soon as the red aura disappeared, Vixen stood onto all fours, opened her mouth, and shot a gold, electrifying beam into the fallen enemy, engulfing his entire body. Sarah's stomach did a summersault as she watched, and as Ignitus's roar sounded.

After a few seconds, the attack faded. Sarah stared in the direction of her dragon, hoping that he hadn't fainted and that the attacks hadn't injured him seriously.

Although he was lying on the ground, she could see his limbs shaking as he tried to get up. He rolled onto his stomach, and lifted himself onto his hands and knees, growling with small winces. Sarah was amazed that he hadn't fainted.

As the enemy sat there, Sarah realized that the hesitation was because Hyper Beam was an attack that required a bit of rest afterward, or the lack of energy would be too much and the pokemon wouldn't be able to fight. She tried desperately to think of what would be a good counter attack as Ignitus got onto his feet. He had taken a lot of damage, so it needed to be a good attack. But which one?

As Ignitus stood, he felt a power surge through his body. Although he was still in pain because of the harsh blows, he knew he could still win. He knew he could, if he would just use this new power.

As Sarah watched Ignitus, still trying to think fast as to what to do, she was surprised as he stood his ground, and stared after the enemy like he was winning. She became puzzled, and wondered what he was planning.

Then, he began to glow.

Sarah's stomach jumped to her throat as she watched. Ignitus's body turned a glowing white, and his body began to grow. As his height increased, she saw his limbs become thicker, and wings sprout from his shoulders. The transformation only lasted a few seconds, but because of the shock, it felt like minutes.

Finally, the glow faded. Where the small Charmeleon once stood was now a large, powerful, Charizard.

As Ignitus stood, he opened is eyes. As soon as he did, he fanned his newly grown wings and thrust his head toward the ceiling, letting loose the loudest, most powerful sounding roar Sarah had ever heard from the dragon, along with a jet of flame bursting from his maw.

As the roar faded, Ignitus lowered his head and stared at the enemy. He could see a hint of fear in her eyes, and he prepared to attack.

Flapping his wings as if he had known how to use them his whole life, the Charizard lifted himself off the ground, then launched himself into the Ninetales, swiping her hard with his right wing. It sent her onto her side, yelping with surprise and pain.

Sarah was unable to call any commands, still unable to get over the shock. Ignitus evolved! She seemed to forget that there was a battle going on, and just stood there with her mouth hanging open stupidly.

But luckily, Ignitus knew what to do. With a surging flap of his wings, he made his way to the enemy and, doing a spiral, knocked her in the face with an Iron Tail, sending her rolling a few more feet away.

Flannery seemed to be shocked by the sudden change, and couldn't do anything as her pokemon was repeatedly attacked. By the time she got her senses back, Vixen just lay there, unmoving.

"Vixen is unable to battle! The winner is Ignitus, and the victory goes to the challenger, Sarah!"

_What!?_ Sarah thought, finally closing her mouth and looking at the judge. Her gaze only rested on him for a moment before she turned it back to her dragon. He had landed back on the ground and was facing her. He gave her a big, familiar Ignitus smile, along with a thumbs up.

Finally, Sarah got her senses back. Although she wasn't thinking about the fact that she just won another badge. All she could think about was that Ignitus evolved. He had finally grown wings like he dreamed.

Ignoring the judge, Sarah ran out to her Charizard, and he walked over to meet her. When she stopped in front of him, she smiled and tried to take in the new changes. He had shot up two feet, so her head was level with the middle of his long neck. His wingspan was about as long as he was tall, and his legs were thick and powerful. He now had a longer snout, and two horns on the back of his head. His arms were longer, but weren't much thicker. Although his appearance was a bit more frightening, his gentleness stayed in his eyes and his smile.

Finally, he spoke, his voice now deeper than it had been before. 'What do you think?'

Sarah's smile broadened. "I think it's awesome, buddy!" He smiled back, snorting smoke out of his nose in a satisfactory way.

Sarah gave him a big hug, which he returned affectionately. By the time they parted, William and the others, including Flannery had approached them.

"Whoa, Ignitus! You're huge!" William said, staring up at the dragon that now towered over him. Ignitus chuckled, fanning his wings lightly, seeming to be full of excitement and energy.

"Well, congratulations."

Sarah turned to see Flannery, who stood in front of her with a smile. She glanced at the dragon, then said, "On your win and the evolution of your dragon."

"Thanks," Sarah said sincerely as she heard Saphira and Glaedr start talking to Ignitus.

Flannery nodded, and held out her palm. In the middle rested the Heat Badge. Sarah silently reached for it, and picked it up. She held it between her fingers and examined it as Flannery lowered her hand. The shape was very unique, as if someone had taken a piece of lava and formed it into a small rock that had a few small curves, rounded by two large bumps. It was as red as fire, and as smooth as glass.

"Thanks," Sarah said, lowering her own hand and looking at the Leader.

Flannery nodded. "Of course." Before turning and leaving, she said, "Good luck to you on your journey."

Well, that badge exchange seemed to go by a lot faster than any of the others, but Sarah didn't care. As Flannery began to walk away, Sarah turned and faced the others. They put their attention on her, clearly wanting to see the new badge. Sarah smiled, and held it up for them to see.

They all came closer to get a good look. "Cool!" William said. The others agreed, and Sarah looked up at Ignitus. She just couldn't stop looking at him, so glad that he had evolved.

"You guys did a good job," she said to Saphira and Ignitus. Saphira nodded, seeming to think it was nothing. Ignitus smiled broadly, and held his clawed hand up.

Sarah got the hint, and proceeded to give him a high five. But the problem was that Ignitus was too excited to consider his new strength, and their hands made contact a little too hard.

"Owww!" Sarah screeched, pulling her hand back and clutching it with the other. It felt as if someone had stepped on it and twisted her wrist. She knew that it would fade and there was no serious injury, but it _hurt._

Ignitus felt immediate remorse for his actions, and quickly said, 'Sorry!'

"It's ok," Sarah said through gritted teeth, faking a smile. She wasn't mad at him, but she hoped that the pain would subside soon.

However, everyone else seemed to find humor in it. Glaedr turned his head away and tried to hide his chuckle, and William laughed openly. Saphira chuckled, and said teasingly, 'You must know your dragon's strength, or you might get injured.'

Sarah rolled her eyes and glared at the dragon. She knew that it was just a joke, and she wouldn't be doing it if the injury had been serious. She couldn't blame her for finding humor, but the dull pain in her hand wouldn't let her find it as comical as they did.

"Quite clever," she echoed the dragon's earlier words mockingly.

Saphira smiled. 'I try.'

After exiting the Gym and making their way back to the Pokemon Center, the group headed over to the counter to get Saphira and Ignitus healed. Saphira teased that Sarah should come with them, but Sarah rolled her eyes. She managed to laugh this time though, as her hand only had a faint throb in it now. She told the nurse that the two dragons needed healing, and the others went to a table and waited.

After letting William examine the badge a bit, Sarah put it into its place in her badge case. She felt proud as she saw that the top row was now complete, meaning that she was halfway there.

After getting her dragons back, it seemed that the attention was on Ignitus. William kept telling him how cool he looked, and said how it was a bummer that he was so much taller than him now, considering that he had been about the same height before he evolved. But it didn't seem to bother him much, considering that he just thought it was so cool that the dragon had wings.

Finally, Ignitus said, 'Can we go outside?'

Sarah smiled, knowing exactly why. He had barely gotten to use his wings in the battle, and he waited until they got to the Pokemon Center and got healed before he flew outside, knowing that it was more important.

"Yeah," Sarah said. William obviously caught the idea and whooped with excitement. So, they all headed outside.

Sarah said that they should go to a spot outside of town so that he could have a little more room. So, they took the short walk down the trail that lead to the mountain, and stood on the open, empty area.

"Ok, buddy. Go ahead," Sarah said with a smile.

Ignitus wasted no time. With a small roar of excitement, he flapped his wings and quickly lifted himself into the air. It took almost no time for him to ascend twenty feet above them, and do a few small spirals. The excitement ran through his body, and he let loose a jet of flame, roaring happily as he finally flew on his own wings. The others cheered below, loving the sight of their friend finally being able to fly.

Surprisingly, he quickly descended after the first minute and landed in front of them. Sarah looked at him quizzically and said, "Done already?"

Ignitus quickly shook his head. He then lowered himself onto the ground, as if preparing himself to do a push up. He looked straight at Sarah and said, 'Come on!'

Sarah smiled widely, and went over. She swung her leg over his back and pulled herself up so she was sitting on his back. She thought for a second on how she would ride him. It would be different than it was on Glaedr. He was a four-legged dragon, so she could easily just sit on his shoulders and hold onto his neck. But Ignitus was two-legged, and shaped differently. After a second of consideration, she leaned forward and put her knees on his back, then spread them so they were on his sides, keeping them bent so her legs pointed behind her. She kept her hands on his back, and used her knees like a grip instead of her arms.

Deciding that it was a good position, Sarah said, "Ready."

Ignitus nodded, and lifted himself up. Just as he did, he used his back legs to push himself off the ground, and flapped his wings, bringing them both up into the air.

Even with the extra weight on his back, Ignitus's speed didn't seem to slow. Sarah's stomach lurched as they gained height quickly, and the others below became smaller. She hoped she would be prepared for the sudden surge into the air because of her flight with Glaedr, but she had only done it once, so she wasn't used to it. Her knees involuntarily tightened around his sides and her fingers gripped his smooth skin. But after a few seconds, she realized that the flight was smooth, so she relaxed her grip, and looked at the area around them.

The sight was beautiful. The sun was still in the afternoon position, shining brightly in a clear blue sky. The treetops of the entire forest could be seen, and the mountain lay closely beside them, casting a large shadow across the ground on the right.

Sarah smiled as the gentle wind rushed past her face. She looked down at Ignitus and said, "So, how does it feel to fly?"

He turned his head and looked at her. With a big smile, he said, 'Wonderful.' Sarah nodded.

Changing his smile to a playful smirk, Ignitus said, 'Hold onto my neck.'

Sarah was about to ask why, but didn't get a chance as he locked his wings and made a sudden descent. With a yelp, Sarah reached forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, her knees tightening their grip on his sides. He descended quickly, then proceeded to do numerous spirals, sending them hurtling toward the treetops. Sarah's eyes closed and everything behind her eyelids began to spin. She kept herself from crying out, knowing that it would only make her panic.

Finally, Ignitus evened his flight, and began to ascend. Sarah's eyes slowly opened, and she looked forward. They were a little lower than they were before, and they were much closer to the mountain. She released her hold on his neck and loosened the tight grip on his sides. Her heart beat a little faster at the quick adventure, and she wondered if she would ever get used to that. But, at least she always enjoyed it.

Just then, Ignitus flapped his wings a bit faster, and did a small turn, bringing them just above a small ledge on the mountain. He did a small dive, then positioned his body so it was upright, letting his back feet touch the rock gently. He then got onto his hands and knees so Sarah could get off. She carefully stepped down, finding herself a bit dizzy. She was glad to see that she was less dizzy than when she flew with Glaedr.

Ignitus stood, and turned to look over the trees. Sarah followed suit. The sight was just as beautiful as it was in the air. The forest was about two hundred feet below them, and they could see Lavaridge town not far to the right.

Sarah smiled at the sight. She then looked at Ignitus. He was enjoying the view with a small smile. After a few seconds, he turned his head toward her and said, 'This is why I like mountains.'

Sarah was a bit confused. She looked out at the trees, then back at him. He seemed to get her question, and said, 'I've always wanted to fly, and I thought it would be cool to be able to see things from a spot high on a mountain, a place you could only get by flying. I wanted to do it so much that I started dreaming about it. The view was always pretty…' He looked back at the view. '…But it was nothing compared to this.'

Sarah smiled. She nodded in understanding and looked back at the trees. She had just learned something about him that she hadn't before. It seemed like she could always learn something new about her pokemon and friends. And she knew she'd look forward to learning more.

As she scanned the treetops, the clearing that the group was in caught her eye. She could just barely make out the sight of William and the others.

Wondering if they knew they were there and if they could hear them, Sarah cupped her hands in front of her mouth and yelled, "HEY, GUYS!" Her voice echoed off the mountain wall, and she thought she saw movement from someone in the group.

Ignitus caught what she was trying to do, so he roared loudly and sent a jet of flame in the air. If Sarah hadn't gotten their attention, _that_ sure did. She could see William waving his arms and calling something. Glaedr could be heard roaring in response and, although not as loud as Glaedr, Saphira could be heard too. Sarah and Ignitus waved their arms a bit, then just watched for a few seconds and smiled.

Finally, Sarah decided that they shouldn't leave them there for too long. She turned to Ignitus and said, "Let's go." He agreed, and after Sarah positioned herself on his back, they headed back to the others.

As they came close enough to land, William was the first to speak. "That was SOO COOL! We saw you way up there! Did you see us!?"

As Sarah got off of Ignitus, she said, "Yeah, we saw you." Ignitus stood back up and nodded in agreement.

Of course, William didn't waste any more time on his next question. "Can I fly with Ignitus!?"

"Sure."

"Yes!"

Sarah helped her brother onto the dragon and told him how to position himself and how to hold on. She thought it might be a bit more difficult because Rascal, who had refused to fly before, now wanted to go. But it was fine as she just told Ignitus to carry Rascal in his arms. When they were ready, they were off in flight, William seeming to enjoy it even more than when he flew with Glaedr.

As they headed for the same spot on the mountain that they had just been on, Glaedr turned to Sarah and said, 'I would like to go with them.'

Sarah nodded. "Ok."

'Would you like to go?'

Sarah's eyes darted toward Saphira momentarily, and she said, "No, that's ok. Keep an eye on those two."

Glaedr smirked. 'I will keep two eyes on them.' With that, he flapped his wings and followed after them.

As he began to catch up with them quickly, Sarah turned her eyes toward Saphira as she heard her speak.

'You didn't have to stay.'

Well, there was no surprise that Saphira was able to read her again. Without even saying anything, Saphira knew that Sarah stayed so the dragon wouldn't have to be alone. Sarah knew it probably wouldn't have been that big of a deal, but what kind of friend would she be if she just went off flying with the others, leaving the dragon there when she couldn't fly too?

Sarah put her gaze back on the other dragons, and silently put her hand on Saphira's head, rubbing it gently.

"I wanted to."

The two watched in silence as the others flew. When they landed on the mountain ledge, they all waved, and they were soon back on their way. By that time, they went back to the Pokemon Center for dinner, then went back outside. They played a few small games and talked. Sarah also noted that Ignitus had learned Wing Attack during the battle. And, now that she had two large dragons, staying in the Pokemon Center would be something they only did when it was necessary. True that Glaedr and Ignitus could stay in the common room, but they preferred to stay outside where they could all be together.

As night came, they all got ready for bed. Glaedr curled up protectively just a few short feet away from all of them, and Ignitus cuddled closely to Sarah. She tried to get used to the new position, considering that he was no longer small enough to fit under her blanket. William wanted to sleep closer to Ignitus now, so he lay on the dragon's other side, with Rascal still sleeping under his blanket.

With the big day rushing through their minds and wondering what might happen the next, they all fell asleep.

- - - - -

Well, I hope you liked it. I'm glad that this chapter didn't take as long as the other ones. I would really appreciate a review, and thanks for reading.

And as a small note, if I didn't do a good enough job describing how Sarah and William ride Ignitus, here's a way to see it. If you've seen Pokemon The Movie 3, think about how Ash rode his Charizard.


	19. Friends Are Welcome When a Rival's There

Breakfast at the Pokemon Center was the same, yet different. It still had the same happy conversations and the same goofing off from William, Ignitus and Rascal. But the difference was that all of Sarah's dragons were now too big to sit in chairs, and all stayed seated on the floor. Ignitus (of course) sat close to Williams' chair, and they played a round of Rock Paper Scissors between bites. They just couldn't stop playing, even while they were eating. It was cute.

"Guys, will you just eat your food?" Sarah said, but not angrily. She didn't mind that they were having fun, but if they didn't just eat than they'd be there all day. "We're gonna be leaving today, and we have a ways to go, so you'll have more than enough time to play games." The two snuck in one more round, then did as she said. Sarah rolled her eyes fondly.

"So, you already know where we're going?" William asked as he faced the table.

"Yep," Sarah said. "Back to Petalburg to fight dad."

William did a spit take as he was sipping his milk. He looked at his sister with bugged out eyes and ignored the mess he made.

"You have to fight dad already!?"

Sarah wiped a single droplet of milk that he managed to spray onto her face, and said unphased, "Yeah. So?"

William looked at her like she grew two heads. "What do you mean, 'Yeah, so!?'"

"William, will you chill?" Sarah asked. She glanced at the others, who looked at her with different looks. Ignitus looked a little surprised, Glaedr and Saphira seemed about as impassive as Sarah was, and Rascal just wagged his tail cluelessly. "It's not like I'm gonna fight the Elite Four."

William's expression relaxed a bit, and he calmed down. "Yeah… I just can't believe that you're taking a battle with Dad so well."

Actually, Sarah was surprised at herself too. Just before she fell asleep the night before, she remembered that her next battle would be against her Dad. At first, she felt a pang of nervousness, but it faded faster than she thought it would have. She just reminded herself that he was another Gym Leader and, although she was his daughter, he wouldn't hold back. So, neither would she. She'd just do her best like she had with all of the other Leaders.

"Yeah," she agreed, "But I was thinking about it last night, and I realized it wasn't a big deal. He'll want me to do my best, and I will. That's all there is to it."

William paused, then nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

Sarah nodded, then eyed the table. "And when we're done, you better clean up this mess," she teased. William rolled his eyes playfully and turned back to his food. "Yeah, yeah…"

Once they were done, Sarah mapped out their path on her Pokenav. It was gonna be a long trip. They would have to go back to Mauville, head to Verdanturf, take the (most likely finished) tunnel that led to Rustboro, go back through Petalburg Woods, go down the Route that connected the two, and go to Petalburg. Sure, they could just backtrack, but it would be more fun to take a trail they hadn't seen yet. And true that Sarah now had two flying dragons and if they wanted they could just fly everywhere, but then the journey would be over too quickly, and they would rob themselves of a chance to explore the areas around them (plus, Sarah doubted that either of them could support the weight of herself or her brother plus Saphira). So, they would travel on foot, and only use flight when they thought it was necessary.

Once the mapping plan was done, they left the Pokemon Center, ready to head on their way.

As they left the town, going back to the trail that lead back up the mountain, Sarah reminded them that, although this route wouldn't take long, the whole way back to Mauville would take up to two days. She doubted that they would care, but she figured it would be better to warn them. No matter how much they liked it, that much traveling could be exhausting, They'd probably have to stay in Mauville for an extra day just so they could rest.

After a few minutes, William and Ignitus had put themselves behind the marching group, and started playing a few games. Rascal walked by William's heels, watching with the curiosity of a young Zigzagoon. Sarah and Saphira walked side by side ahead of the group, and Glaedr walked between the two smaller groups, keeping an eye on them both.

Sarah walked in silence, listening to William and Ignitus's games fondly. She would occasionally smile to herself when she heard them laugh at the goofy things they did. It was pretty cool that they had gotten so close, and that they were able to communicate on such a profound level even though William couldn't understand a word Ignitus said. They communicated through other means. Sometimes by using their hands or actions as examples (like Charades) and William making sure he asked as many 'Yes' and 'No' questions as possible so Ignitus could relay an answer without need for translation. Sarah knew that because they spent so much time together, it would only be a matter of time before William could understand Ignitus's speech as well as she did.

Just then, she had the nagging feeling of two yellow eyes on her. She glanced downward at Saphira, to find that the Shelgon was looking up at her, suspicion and a bit of a sly, 'knowing' look on her face.

"What?" Sarah asked.

Saphira paused. She grinned with her eyes and said, 'You are taking a battle with your father well.'

Sarah lightly shrugged. "So?"

Saphira blinked casually. 'I mean no offense Sarah. I've just noticed how much you have matured. The thought of battling him would have put you in a fit of nervousness a few days ago.'

Sarah paused. She guessed she hadn't really realized that. How could she not realize such a big change in herself?

"Well," she started, "I don't think I 'matured' that much. I mean, I might be showing my feelings about it differently and more calmly, but really, I'm just as nervous as I was before any of the other battles. Maybe more." She paused again. "So, really I don't think there's anything different. Nothing important anyway."

Saphira shook her head right away. 'No. Any change that shows maturity and growth is a pleasant change. Although you may be nervous about the battle, keeping the emotions in check is not always easy, and tends to come with age and experience. You are still young, but you've had enough experience to grow in this area. You should be proud.'

Sarah blinked. She never thought that far into it. She just guessed she was getting used to battles. But the way Saphira described it, it was ok to be nervous, and it was good that she had learned to keep those emotions collected and not let them crush her confidence.

Wow. This dragon knew her better than she knew herself.

"Thanks," Sarah said with a smile. Saphira smile din return, and they looked to the path ahead.

After about an hour, they reached the top of the mountain. They rode down on the Cable Car like last time, Glaedr flying down to meet them. After the short ride, the headed down the route to Mauville.

They walked all day, only stopping to eat. They enjoyed their usual games, and Ignitus attempted to re-teach himself his flips and tricks with his new body. The first attempt left him sprawled on the ground, but the dragon wouldn't give up, Eventually, he was able to do all that he could before.

When evening came, they stopped on the route and went to sleep.

By mid-afternoon the next day, they reached Mauville. The constant traveling left them exhausted, so they spent the night to rest themselves from the long trip. They were refreshed and ready to go by the next morning.

The sun was bright in the sky as they traveled down Route 117 toward Verdanturf. There was a very light breeze, giving the summer's feel to the day that they all enjoyed. The Route was pretty wide, wide enough to be a road, but it was made up of soil, rows of trees on either side. Sarah had calculated with her Pokenav that it would take them half the day to reach Verdanturf.

And, as expected, it was about noon when they reached it.

It was a cute little town, tucked away by the side of a mountain. There were a few houses left and right, and a Pokemon Center and Pokemart placed adjacent to each other close to the town's entrance. There were a few small children playing with small pokemon by some of the houses, laughing as they chased each other around. The ground was covered in rich green grass, other than the dirt paths that led to the Pokemon Center and Pokemart.

As usual, the group was tired and headed for the Pokemon Center. Traveling left them hungry, so they enjoyed lunch at one of the tables off to the side of the common room. There weren't many people there, but the ones that were appeared to be trainers dining with their pokemon.

Well, that sure was a lot of walking they just did in the past couple of days. Sarah wondered if they should stay here and rest, along with exploring the town, or just get as far as they could and rest later. When she asked the others, they said that they were fine with leaving soon.

"We're using the new tunnel, right?" William asked as they rested after they ate.

"Yeah, if it's done," Sarah answered. Although she said it, she doubted that it wasn't done. It had been more than a week as far as she remembered, so there shouldn't be any reason for it not to be.

"Ok," William said. "And is it-" He stopped and looked past Sarah at something behind her.

Sarah's first thought was to turn and see what he was looking at. But when his face turned into a somewhat angered frown, she wasn't sure if she wanted to.

Not that she really got to decide, cause whoever it was decided to announce their presence.

"So, you managed to get this far, huh?"

Sarah's breath caught. It was Amanda.

Her eyes closed momentarily with frustration. Why did she have to show up now? Why couldn't she just bother someone else?

Nevertheless, Sarah knew that she wouldn't go away. She took a small, calming breath, wanting to make sure that she wouldn't let Amanda press any of her buttons, then twisted in her chair and looked up at the blonde girl's face.

Sarah blinked once as she looked into the other girl's impassive stare, then said, "Yeah." She tried to sound sincerely polite. "I see you have too."

Amanda rolled her eyes in disgust. "Well duh." She looked down at Sarah as if she was something weak, and said, "It's obvious that I could get this far. It's a surprise to see that you have."

Sarah almost became angry, but she pushed the comment away. If she let that button be pressed, she'd just end up in another angry conversation, and that's not what she needed. If she gave into Amanda's rudeness, then she would just be doing what Amanda wanted.

Sarah shrugged, acting as if the comment hadn't bee meant to set her off. "Nah. It's not that surprising."

Amanda paused, looking a bit confused, but her rude composure never went away.

"Well," she said, seeming to be ready to skip the button pressing since it apparently wasn't going to work, "I'm only using my time talking to you because I want to battle you."

Sarah smirked a little, and decided to use some of Amanda's comments against her. "If I'm so weak, why waste your time? Wouldn't you rather fight someone who's worth your while?"

Amanda rolled her eyes again. "I've told you before, I just want to prove that I'm stronger than you."

Sarah frowned a bit. "But you already beat me. Wasn't that enough?"

Amanda looked up and eyes the pokemon. "Your pokemon look… stronger." The last word was forced. She looked back at Sarah and said, "And I'm gonna take any chance I can get to beat other trainers, when they seem stronger, or just when I feel like it."

_Wow, nice reasoning_, Sarah thought with dry sarcasm. Well, she wasn't going to fight Amanda unless her pokemon were ok with it. And if there was a judge.

Sarah turned her head to look at her dragons. Glaedr's lip was upturned in annoyance, but his eyes showed no objection to the request. Ignitus looked mad, but he gave Sarah a small nod in agreement. She looked at Saphira, and found that her gaze was telling Sarah that it was entirely up to her.

Sarah nodded to them all, then looked at Amanda. "I will battle you, _only_ if we have a judge."

"Fine," Amanda said impassively. "Then find one."

Ok, so I have to find the judge? Sarah thinks. If Amanda wants to battle so bad, why doesn't she look for one?

"I'll do it."

Everyone looks past Amanda, and she turns around as they hear the voice. Sarah is surprised to recognize who it is.

"Alex?" Sarah said, standing up. Sure enough, it was him, Padfoot and Din standing at his sides, along with… was that a Houndour?

"Fine," Amanda said, walking toward the door. "We're battling out here," she said without turning around. After she left, Sarah turned to Alex.

"Hi," she said, seeming to think that that would be the better way to start the conversation.

"Hi," he said, giving her a small wave.

Sarah paused, then asked, "Why did you do that?"

"Well," Alex started, glancing at the others behind Sarah before looking back at her, "I just happened to see you talking to that girl and say that you needed a judge, so I thought I'd help." He glanced at the door, then said, "And she sounded like she was being rude or bothering you, so I thought I'd help out."

Sarah nodded, glancing down at his pokemon. "Ok. Thanks."

Alex nodded. "Sure."

Sarah turned to her brother and pokemon, and said, "Let's go." They nodded and got out of their chairs (and positions on the floor) and followed her as she walked toward the door, Alex and his pokemon next to her.

As they reached the door, Sarah looked at Alex and asked, "Do you even know how to judge a battle?"

"Yeah," Alex said reassuringly. He shrugged as he held the door open for everyone. "I'm not a professional, but my dad is, and I've learned a few things form him."

"Oh. Ok," Sarah said. She watched as the pokemon and William walked out the door, then said, "Thanks."

"No problem," he said. He waited for Sarah to walk out the door before following them.

As they got outside, they saw Amanda walking down a trail on the left that lead out of Verdanturf and into Route 117. Sarah, William and Alex glanced at each other then followed, their pokemon next to them.

Amanda stopped in an open area at the beginning of the route, a wide one hundred feet across. She turned and faced the others, folding her arms. They stopped a battle distance away from her.

Alex turned to Sarah and said, "Are there any specific battle rules you want?"

Sarah shook her head. "No. I'm sure Amanda will be more than happy to tell you how she wants to battle." Alex paused then nodded. "Good luck," he said to Sarah. She nodded, then he headed to a spot on the side between them.

Once he was positioned, his dog pokemon all sat on either side of him, watching patiently at the battle that was about to unfold. Alex looked to Amanda and said, "Any specific battle rules?"

"One pokemon each," Amanda answered, not looking at him. She remained silent afterward, watching Sarah with a look that said the girl didn't look like she was worth her time. Sarah ignored it and waited for Alex's commands.

Alex glanced at Sarah, then said, "Each trainer will use one pokemon each. The first to knock out the other's pokemon wins." He gave the commands officially, and sounded almost like a real judge. "Choose your pokemon."

Amanda didn't hesitate to grab a pokeball form her pocket, enlarge it, and toss it into the arena. A large snake-like dragon with small wings on either side of its head appeared from the pokeball's light, its large black eyes resting immediately on the defending trainer.

Sarah blinked. I guess Kain evolved into Dragonair… That might make things a little harder.

But, as far as she was concerned, she had just as much chance of winning as Amanda did, Saphira evolved since their last battle too. And she had no doubt in her mind that she was the pokemon that was going to fight. Ever since Amanda and Sarah met, Kain and Saphira had become rivals just as the other two had. It was their fight, and they would do it together.

As Amanda caught the pokeball in her hand, Sarah looked to her Shelgon and said, "Go, Saphira." The dragon nodded, and walked to face her enemy.

The two dragons watched each other in the middle of the arena, large black eyes drilling into small yellow ones. Kain flapped his small wings momentarily and craned his eyebrows, glaring at his enemy with a small, squeaking growl. Saphira just watched, saying all she needed to with her eyes.

Alex looked form one to the other, then said, "Let the battle begin!"

"Kain, Dragon Rage!"

"Saphira, Dragonbreath!"

The attacks were called simultaneously, and both dragons released them in the same second, red electric flame and blue electric stream shooting toward the enemy. The attacks met in midair, and cancelled each other out with an explosion of sparks. It seemed like most of Sarah's battle started out that way, but it seemed like it was always necessary. One trainer would call an attack, and the other would call one that would stop it. It was always effective, but somewhat clichéd.

"Hyper Beam!" Amanda called. Guess she wanted to pull out all the stops right away. Kain thrust his head and shot the attack right toward Saphira's face. Well, the comeback for that would be easy.

"Protect!" Sarah called. Saphira closed her eyes momentarily and erected the blue shield in front of her body. The Hyper Beam slammed against it and broke into multiple streams, flying apart and toward the sky, dissipating as they reached a few feet.

Sarah smiled, and looked over for Amanda's reaction. She was grinding her teeth angrily. Sarah guessed that she hoped this would be a short battle, and that's why she sued such a powerful attack in the beginning. She didn't expect defense.

But, now was as good a time as any for Saphira to attack. Kain would need a few seconds to regain his energy before he could attack again. She raised her finger and pointed at the Dragonair, saying, "Dragonbreath!"

Saphira shot the attack at the weakened enemy, hitting him in his snake-like chest. He fell backwards with a small thud, squeaking with discomfort. It broke the stream of Saphira's attack, so she prepared o fire again.

But before it could leave the dragon's mouth, Amanda shouted, "Agility!"

Kain lifted his head, and his body glowed momentarily as he watched the blue stream head for him. When it was just inches away from his face, he disappeared, letting the attack fritter away onto the ground.

In the same second, he appeared next to Saphira, as if by teleportation, and slammed his head into her armored side. The blow was enough to send Saphira onto her side, her shot legs waving frantically in an attempt to right herself.

Oh no," Sarah thought, watching Saphira struggle to get up. Because of the dragon's short legs, she was like a Torkoal on its back. She might not be able to get back up. What were they going to do now?

"Water Pulse!" Amanda shouted. Kain took a moment to slither back a few feet, then prepared the water attack in his mouth, and shot a small wave at the Shelgon.

What were they supposed to do? Saphira couldn't attack, and she probably couldn't get up by herself. Maybe the attack would turn her over and back onto her feet? Would it be worth risking a large amount of damage?

Well, Sarah decided that they should just do what they could. "Protect!" she called.

Saphira surrounded her body with the blue light just before the wave came crashing into her. It splashed along the shield, then dripped to the ground. For now, she would be safe until Sarah thought of something.

"Dragon Rage!" Amanda shouted. She must have thought that she could break through the shield with enough force. Kain did as he was told, and engulfed the blue light with red flame.

The attack was held for a few seconds, then it became to much for Kain and he released it. When the fire disappeared, the shield was still glowing around the Shelgon.

Bu Amanda wasn't going to give up. "Slam!" she shouted. Kain slithered back, then leapt forward and slammed his head into the shield. A great, echoing ring sounded as his skull made contact. He fell back, a bit dazed.

"Again!" Amanda demanded. Kain shook his head to rid himself of the dizziness, and attacked again. It gave the same result as the first attempt.

Sarah watched, her heart beating faster with anxiety. She didn't know how much longer Saphira could hold the shield. Sure, it was protecting her, but it took energy to hold it for so long, and she didn't know how long she could hold it.

Amanda commanded Kain to attack again, telling him to do it until the shield was broken. So, over and over again, he slammed his head into the shield, giving the same ringing result every time. Sarah tried to decide what to do as she watched. She could see Saphira begin to strain with the attempt to hold the shield. With the attacks coming the way they did, she doubted she could hold it much longer. But if she told her to let it go, would that be a good idea? Would it be better for her to hold it, or let herself be hit with an attack and be rolled back onto her feet?

As she tried to decide, Kain's attacks became slower and more sluggish. He was obviously doing too much damage to himself with this. After a few seconds, he stopped, and stared at the shield with his eyes drooping. He swayed momentarily, then fell to the ground. Saphira released the shield, and her eyes closed, her legs going limp.

Alex looked back and forth at the pokemon, then said, "Neither pokemon is able to battle. It's a draw."

Sarah walked over to Saphira as Kain disappeared into a beam of red light. She knelt by the Shelgon and put a hand on her shell.

"You ok?" she asked. The dragon grunted in reply. Sarah chuckled a bit, and gently pushed her so she was upright. The dragons short legs shook momentarily, then she supported herself.

Sarah looked up at Amanda. Her face was rigid with annoyance. A draw obviously wasn't making her happy, especially compared to her win last time.

Sarah knew it was a waste of time, as Amanda wouldn't appreciate it at all, but said, "Nice battle."

Amanda rolled her eyes angrily. "Whatever," she barked, then turned and walked off.

Sarah shrugged to herself. Although she knew the girl wouldn't care about her comment, she decided to do it anyway. She had to be nice to her, no matter how she was treated.

Just then, the others approached the trainer and dragon.

"Nice job," Alex said with a smile. "That was a cool battle."

Sarah smiled back. "Thanks."

"Even though it was a draw, it's better than losing right?" William said behind her. Sarah turned to look at her brother. She glanced at the other pokemon, then said, "Yep." He smiled.

Sarah turned back to her Shelgon, patting her shell a little, then stood up, saying "Well, let's get to the Pokemon Center."

"I'll come with you," Alex said. Sarah looked at him, and he said, "Then we can update each other on our journeys."

"Ok, sure," Sarah said. With that, they all headed over to the Pokemon Center.

As Saphira was being healed, they all waited close to the counter.

"Well, you sure seem to have gotten far," Alex said, looking at the group with impression. "I can't believe Saphira and Ignitus evolved."

"Yeah," Sarah said, glancing at the pokemon before looking back at him. Last time they saw each other, Ignitus was still a Charmeleon and Saphira was a Bagon. It must have been a pretty big difference to see the smaller pokemon so much bigger.

She looked down at the dog pokemon, who sat loyally by their trainer's sides and wagged their tails at Sarah. She smiled and bent down to greet them. Din and Padfoot immediately approached her and licked her face in unison, wagging their tails more vigorously.

"Yeah, it's nice to see you guys too," she laughed, standing back up to escape their attacking tongues. William came forward to scratch the dogs' ears as Sarah's eyes landed on the Houndour. His fine, black fur covered all of his body, except his muzzle, chest and paw. Those areas were a tan color. A bone plate rested on the top of his head between his pointed ears, and a row of what appeared to be three bones stretched across his back. He looked up at Sarah with his head cocked, watching her inquisitively.

"Well, who's the new team member?" Sarah asked. Alex reached down and patted the dog's head, much to the dog's delight, and said, "This is Blaze." He removed his hand from the dog's head and said, "I found him wandering around the mountain leading to Lavaridge about a week ago." He chuckled to himself as he said, "He was barking his little head off when he saw us coming. I guess we were on his territory." He patted the dog's head fondly and said, "But it turns out he was just a big softy. He acted tough, but he wouldn't attack us." Alex paused to scratch the back of the dog's ears, then said, "He was so cool that I couldn't pass him up. Once he calmed down, I got him rolling onto his stomach so I could scratch it. He came with us without so much as a fight."

Sarah chuckled at the story. It seemed like Alex was a magnet for friendly dogs. Sarah figured it was because he was such a friendly person, they just found each other easily.

They paused as the Nurse came out with Saphira. After she rejoined the party, they stood by the counter and continued their conversation.

"So, you got four badges now?" Alex asked.

"Yep," Sarah said. "You?"

"Yeah," Alex said. "After I got the one in Lavaridge, I came back here and decided to rest for a while." He glanced at his pokemon and said, "We wanted to take a short rest from the traveling and train. Plus, I wanted to get to know Blaze a little more."

Sarah nodded. "Cool."

"What did you do?" Alex asked.

"We stayed in Lavaridge for a few days for a rest too," she said. She left out the incident with Glaedr, feeling that it was their business, although Alex was a friend, and said, "Now we're heading back to Petalburg to fight Dad."

Alex blinked with confusion. "Dad?"

Sarah paused. "Yeah. Why?"

Then she caught herself. Duh! She never mentioned that their Dad was the Gym Leader of Petalburg. Wow. In all the conversations they had, she had never mentioned it.

"I meant to say the Gym Leader in Petalburg," Sarah said.

Alex's eyes went wide. "Norman is your Dad!?"

Sarah nodded. "Yeah."

"Wow!" Alex said. "You never told me that! That's so cool!"

"Yeah, I guess," Sarah chuckled. She couldn't believe that eh was so excited about it.

"You guess!?"" Alex said with surprise. "It must be so cool having a parent who's a gym leader!"

Sarah paused. Well, yeah it was cool, but she guessed that she didn't think about it often because she was used to it. Norman was the Gym Leader ever since they moved to Hoenn, and that was a few years ago.

"It is cool," Sarah admitted, "I'm just used to it, that's all."

Alex calmed down and nodded. "Ok." He looked a bit sheepish. "Sorry about that. It was just unexpected."

"It's ok," Sarah said sincerely. Actually, she never had that reaction from anyone about being a gym leader's daughter. Most of the people who knew were the people in Littleroot, so it wasn't a big deal. She never really went anywhere else, so she never told anyone. But seeing Alex's reaction made her realize that it was something cool that she had never really noticed.

"Anyway," Sarah said, "That's where we were headed. We were gonna go through the new tunnel to get there."

"Cool," Alex said. "That's where we were going too."

"Oh," Sarah said. "Hey, do you want to go with us?"

Alex smiled. "Yeah, that'd be great!" He looked down at his pokemon. "What do you think guys?" The dogs barked with wagging tails, signifying their approval. Alex looked up and said, "Sounds great. When were you gonna leave?"

"Well, we were gonna leave when we were done here, then Amanda showed up." A bit of annoyance buzzed in the back of her mind, but she ignored it.

"Oh," Alex said, seeming to realize that the subject was a little irritating to Sarah. Now that eh thought about it, he had never met the girl before.

"Do you know her?" Alex asked.

Sarah paused. "Kind of." She tried not to sound annoyed as she said, "She shows up once in a while and tries to make me battle."

Alex paused. "Have you fought her before?"

Sarah nodded. "Yeah. That was our second battle." She averted her eyes as the memory of the first slightly angered her. "We lost the first time, and there was no judge. She played kinda dirty."

Alex winced slightly with his eyebrows upturned a bit. "Oh."

Sarah nodded. "Yeah. So I told her the next time I saw her that I wouldn't do it again unless there was a judge. So, you managed to show up and fill that position."

Alex nodded a bit as he listened. "I see." He scratched the back of his head momentarily, thinking, then asked, "Unless it's none of my business, does she have something against you? She didn't seem very friendly."

Sarah shrugged a bit. "Yeah, but I have no idea why." She paused. That explanation might take a while, and she didn't want to use up all their time talking when they should try to get to Rustboro.

"Well, how about I tell you about it while we walk?"

Alex nodded. "Sure, that's fine." Everyone seemed to be ok with it, so they all left the Pokemon Center and headed for the new trail.

As they reached the mountain, the saw a large opening with a sign next to it that read: Verdanturf Tunnel- This Way to Rustboro." They examined the entrance a bit, then walked inside.

The tunnel was larger than Sarah expected. The ceiling was twenty feet above them, and the path had been carved twenty feet across, leaving more than enough room for them all to walk. The way was lit with bulbed lanterns that looked more like torches, stuck into the wall above them. It left the whole area well lit, and it was easy to see the brown stone around them. Soon, they became used to the atmosphere, and got into conversation.

Sarah told Alex about her encounters with Amanda, and how the girl said she was only a trainer to prove that she was better than other people. Alex found as much sense in it as Sarah. They discussed some of their battles and some of the things they did on their journeys. Sarah told him how Saphira and Ignitus evolved, and the fun they had in Lavaridge in the days they spent there. She left out what happened with Glaedr, feeling that it wasn't important and it was something that had been worked out and left behind them. And Sarah showed Alex and his pokemon the Pokedex game. They all thought it was a great idea, and soon a huge game was started. First, it was Sarah's group versus Alex's group, then pokemon versus humans, then split teams. They had a blast with the game, realizing that it was more fun with more people. It filled out most of the time they spent in the tunnel.

And after a few hours, the end of the tunnel came into view, and they greeted the outside once more.

Sarah checked her Pokenav and saw that they were on Route 116. It wouldn't take long for them to get to Rustboro. They continued the Pokedex game as they reached the city and found their way to the Pokemon Center. Upon arriving, they sat down for dinner. That much walking was enough to build up an appetite. They talked a bit more during the meal, and decided to stay the night in the Pokemon Center. Glaedr and Ignitus were allowed to stay in the common room, and the others got separate rooms. They stayed in the common room for a while, talking about a few things. Sarah checked her Pokenav and said that they would have to go through Petalburg Woods again, but it wouldn't take very long to get to Petalburg.

After a bit more conversation and a few small games, they went to bed to prepare themselves for the next day.

- - - - - - - - - -

Ok. I just want to apologize for the long wait on this chapter. I know I said that I would try not to let there be such large gaps between updates, but it's a little harder to do now. If any one has seen my recent stories, then they know that I'm also working on another long story, 'Final Fantasy IX: Revised.' And writing two long stories at the same time takes a lot of work. So, I'm sorry that this is taking so long, and I appreciate your patience.

And, to the reviewer laura, I made it clear in the chapter 'Realizing a Dream' that Sarah won't be getting any more pokemon. I want the characters to form a close relationship, and if I let there be any more pokemon, it would way too much work, and the relationships wouldn't be as close. I hope that's not a disappointment, and thanks a lot for your interest in my story.

And, just as a small note, I wanted to mention that I've made Alex a trainer of all dog pokemon because my favorite animals are dogs, and Sarah can't have any dog pokemon because this is a dragon story. And Blaze's personality was taken from my sister's dog Blake. He's huge and acts like he's so tough, but he's just a big baby, and I think it's adorable .

Anyway, thank you to all who are still reading this story, and thank you for all the reviews. They always help me to keep writing.


	20. Father Versus Daughter

Hello.

Thanks a lot for checking out this chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

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Everyone met in the common room for breakfast the next morning. Sarah's group got there first, and was joined ten minutes later by Alex and his pokemon. Lucky for them, the large Pokemon Center had large tables, so they were all able to fit around it (even though Sarah's pokemon sat on the floor).

"So, you saw that Team Aqua guy in Petalburg Woods?" Alex asked. He sat at the table opposite Sarah. They had started a little conversation about their route for the day, and he remembered Sarah's story when they remembered they would be going through the woods.

"Yep," Sarah said, glancing at William and Ignitus, who were playing Rock, Paper, Scissors (again). She scooted some of her food on her plate absentmindedly with her fork, mostly paying attention to the conversation, and said, "But if you're worried about it happening again, it won't. We went in there after that, and the guy was only there to get the prototype Master Ball."

"I wasn't worried," Alex said with a small shake of his head. "I was just curious." Sarah nodded.

Alex took a bite of his scrambled eggs, then asked, "So, you found out that the guy wanted the Master Ball when you talked to the Devon Company President?"

Sarah took a sip of orange juice before saying, "Yeah. I guess he didn't think it was a bad thing to tell me. It wasn't like it was a company secret or anything. Just an experiment."

"So, what's the Master Ball do again?" Alex asked. They had talked about it sparsely the night before, but they became too tired after the long day, and decided to continue the conversation the next day.

"It's guaranteed to catch any Pokemon," Sarah said.

Alex seemed to get it right away. "Wow. That would be a bummer if they got a hold of something like that."

"Yeah."

Alex paused. He lifted his fork in emphasis, and said matter-of-factly, "I bet they would have used it to capture a Legendary Pokemon."

Sarah paused. "So, you think they're real?"

"Well, yeah," Alex said. "Don't you?"

Sarah considered it for a moment. "Well… There's not much proof on it. The only things we have to say that they do are the fact that some people have claimed to see them."

Alex shrugged a bit. "Yeah, but there have been too many 'supposed' sightings for it all to be a coincidence. I mean, every time someone says they saw one, the description matches what the last witness said."

"They could be lying to get there fifteen minutes of fame," Sarah suggested. It wasn't as if she didn't believe that the Legendary Pokemon were real, and she wasn't trying to prove that they weren't. She just had a few suspicions about it. But hey, if they were real, she would have no problem with it. It would be pretty cool.

Alex averted her gaze momentarily and thought about it. "Maybe." He looked at Sarah. "But I bet they're real."

Sarah nodded. "Maybe. But I guess we'll know if we ever see one huh?"

"That would be so cool!" Alex said.

_Cool, yes. Dangerous too,_ Sarah thought. But all the same, it would be nice to get the chance to see one.

Once they were done, they decided that they were ready to go. They headed down the road and made their way to the hill by the woods.

Upon entering the woods, they settled into some discussion of the gym battles they already had, and the upcoming battle. The forest was as dark as usual, with Ignitus's tail flame the only light. Even with the enlarged group, it was enough. After all, he wasn't a Charmander anymore, so his flame was bigger and gave a better light radius. Sarah found it nice that they all found something to do and occupy each other from the slight creepiness of the woods. And she was glad to see that William was too busy playing with Ignitus to be scared. Or maybe he just wasn't scared anymore. Maybe both. But the point was, he wasn't showing any signs of fear at any sounds they heard (not that they could hear many. Their conversation and games kinda drowned everything out.) As Sarah and Alex talked, William and the pokemon played games (Well, mostly the little ones. And Ignitus. He was basically like a big kid). William and Ignitus were playing charades (mostly with their hands). Blaze decided to take advantage of the night vision his dark type gave him, and slip into the trees on the side of the trail occasionally, only to leap out and tackle one of his dog companions. It resulted in a playful wrestling match, each one lasting about five seconds before the Houndour would slither away and into the trees for another sneak attack. After a while, everyone stopped what they were doing to watch the pokemons' game. It was too funny not to watch.

But, after the expected hour, the game had to end as the trail opened into the route between the forest and Petalburg.

The trip would take the rest of the day, so they decided to get as far as they could in the smallest time possible. They stopped to eat at about noon, then kept going after a short rest.

They didn't reach the town until dinnertime. Although they very much enjoyed the games and time together, they were relieved to see Petalburg just ahead. They would definitely enjoy the rest before they battled Norman.

As they entered the city, they stopped to consider what they would do.

Sarah looked at William and asked, "So, should we go say hi to Dad or surprise him tomorrow?"

William looked up, and his lips pursed to the side as he thought. He looked back at Sarah and said, "I say we wait until tomorrow. If we tell him now that you're here to battle him, then he'll prepare." He clenched his fists in mock toughness. "Let's surprise him."

Wow. Sarah thought that was a really good idea. Why didn't she think of that?

She looked at Alex and asked, "Is that ok with you?"

Alex nodded. "Sure, sounds great," he said sincerely. Decided, they all went to the Pokemon Center.

No one objected to the mention of dinner, so they all settled down at a table.

"So," Alex asked, "Are you nervous about fighting your Dad?"

Sarah paused. Although she had explained to the others that she felt it would just be another battle, no matter who it was against, she had to admit that she was kind of nervous. Sure, she was nervous during all of the Gym Battles, but this was against her Dad. It would be different. But only because it would be the time to prove her strength, and showing him how she grew was important to her. If she lost, she might feel that he thought she wasn't trying hard enough. But why would she think that? He was proud of her no matter what. That's what made her decide that she shouldn't worry, and just try her best.

Sarah looked at Alex and said, "A little. But I'm looking forward to it."

Alex nodded. He paused, then put on a smirk. "How about a little warm up?"

Sarah blinked. "Huh?"

"Let's battle tonight." He shrugged. "Just for a little preparation."

Sarah smirked back. She knew that was just a sly excuse to get her to battle because she had won the first time, and the last one was a draw. He wanted to even the stakes with a win. But she couldn't turn down a friendly request for a battle.

"You're on."

They rested for an hour after dinner before going back out to the route that separated Petalburg and the woods. They found a clear spot, and positioned themselves for a battle. Instead of the usual air of confidence and competition, there was a friendly kind of mood to the upcoming battle. Each wanted to win, but they knew the battle would be fun.

Because Alex had knowledge as a Judge, he would judge while he battled. Sarah trusted him and knew he would be fair, so there was no problem there.

Once they were ready, they decided on the battle system.

"I have three pokemon, and so do you," Alex said, a smile of excitement on his face. "Why don't we go all out?"

Sarah nodded, sharing his look of anticipation. "Sounds good."

Alex nodded, and cleared his throat. He spoke as if he was judging a tournament, but the smile on his face let them know that he was just doing it for kicks. "This will be a three-on-three battle, no substitutions! First trainer to knock out the others is the winner! Choose your pokemon!"

Sarah considered her choice, her elation with the friendly battle growing. Considering the different type advantages and the different sets of moves her pokemon knew, she made her choice.

"Saphira, go!"

The Shelgon ran into the arena, feeling equally happy with the pleasant, yet competitive air of the battle. She waited for the opponent to choose his pokemon.

Alex paused, appearing to be thinking, then said, "Padfoot, go get em!"

The Mightyena leapt happily into the arena, curling his lip in a challenging way.

There was a pause. Then…

"GO!!!"

"Saphira, Dragonbreath!"

"Padfoot, Body Slam!"

At the same time Saphira shot her attack, Padfoot leapt easily to the side, dodging the attack, then sprang forward, leaving claw marks in the soft ground, and nailed the dragon right in the side with the hard attack. The force sent Saphira rolling, but luckily it was enough to be a full turn, and she landed on her feet. Padfoot took the moment to leap in with another attack, but Saphira quickly protected herself with a blue shield. Padfoot's shoulder came in contact with the shield, and he let a small yelp as he stepped back. Saphira released the shield's power, then nailed her enemy in the face with a Dragonbreath in the next second. Padfoot howled with discomfort and surprise, then managed to jump to the side, out of the stream of the attack.

Sarah's eyes widened slightly. Padfoot was really fast. She was impressed in how well Alex had trained his pokemon. Mightyena's were usually known for their ability to protect their territory or trainers, and the speed they used in their pursuits after trespassers. And Alex sure did a good job of developing that ability.

"Shadow Ball!" Alex shouted.

"Protect!" Sarah called.

At the same time Padfoot charged a large, black ball around his mouth and shot it at Saphira, she once again put up the sapphire shield. When the ball came in contact, it dissipated with the sound of a ricocheting bullet. Saphira took a moment for surprise, lowering the shield and shooting a blue stream at her enemy as soon as the sound echoed through the trees on the side of the trail.

And once again, the dog pokemon was hit in the face with the attack. But this time, it was too much. When the attack faded, Padfoot swayed, then fell to the ground.

Alex paused, feeling disappointed at his pokemon's loss. But he remembered that he was the judge, and said, "Padfoot is unable to battle. Saphira is the winner."

"Good job, Saphira," Sarah said proudly as Alex walked over to his fallen pokemon. Saphira back glanced at Sarah and smiled with her eyes before looking back at the battle. Alex got Padfoot onto his feet and led him back to his spot.

As Padfoot lay down for a rest, Alex paused in his consideration. It didn't take long before he pointed at Saphira, saying, "Go, Din!"

Din barked in affirming, and ran into the arena, skidding to a stop in front of Saphira. Although the friendly air still remained, the stakes of a win or loss began to enter the battle, and the opponents began to get a bit more serious.

Alex lifted his hand, then lowered a pointing finger, saying, "Go!"

"Dragonbreath!"

"Thunderbolt!"

At the same time Saphira shot the blue stream at the dog pokemon, Din rolled to the side, dodging the attack just before it grazed his blue side. He stamped a paw on the ground with a powerful grunt before shooting a swift, electric bolt at Saphira.

The attack hit its target head on. Saphira glowed in the yellow light, and roared in pain. No matter her own reflexes, she had no time to protect herself from the sudden attack.

Sarah watched with impression and worry. Saphira was taking a harsh blow, and she knew it would take a lot of energy. Whatever Alex did to train his pokemon had been a successful attempt to approach each pokemon's strengths. Manectrics were naturally fast, and the advantage gave them quick reflexes. And Alex apparently taught Din to retaliate quickly by dodging, then jumping in with an attack before the enemy could react. This guy was one good trainer.

But because of the suddenness and power of the attack, Saphira couldn't handle it. When the glow faded, she didn't even blink before her small legs gave way beneath her.

Alex smiled with success, and said, "Saphira is unable to battle. Din is the winner!"

He called congratulations to his pokemon as Sarah reached Saphira. She managed to get the dragon on her feet and lead her back to the others. Sarah told her she did a good job, then turned back to the battle as the dragon lay for a rest.

Well, now she had to decide who was next. Electricity would do well against her flying dragons, but she knew Ignitus and Glaedr had powerful attacks, and had good reflexes for pokemon of their sizes. But which one would be better against a Manectric?

Well, Glaedr's strengths were his power in his attacks, his accuracy, and his ability to take his enemy by surprise. But his speed and reflexes weren't as good as Ignitus's. Although she knew both pokemon would do well, she felt that speed and reflex was needed against Din.

So, she pointed at the dog pokemon and said, "Ignitus, go!"

The Charizard fanned his wings, then lifted himself into a short flight, landing onto the arena, looking at his enemy with an obvious acceptance in a challenge. He snorted a plume of smoke from his nostrils for show.

A pause, then "Go!"

"Din, Thunderbolt!"

"Run Ignitus!"

As soon as the dog pokemon shot the lightning at the dragon, Ignitus lifted himself on his wings, then flapped them violently forward, sending himself backwards. The bolt of lightning cracked the ground that he had been standing on a second before.

Sarah smiled. _That_ was her Ignitus.

When Din shot another bolt, Ignitus beat his wings down, lifting himself further into the air, before taking a sharp turn to the right, then ascending with a hard flap of his wings. He did a small spiral as another bolt whizzed past his left wing.

The Charizard ascended a few feet in the air, doing all sorts of aerial acrobatics to dodge the countless bolts being sent at him. Sarah occasionally called encouragement to her pokemon, letting the battle play out. If Ignitus could keep up this technique, Din would be run down by the amount of energy he was using to attempt a blow. Once he was weak, Ignitus could go for the finishing attack.

Sure enough, after about a minute, Din's attacks became sluggish, and didn't come in such vast numbers. Finally, they stopped altogether, and his head slung toward the ground, his tongue hanging out in frantic panting.

Bingo.

Sarah looked up at Ignitus, who hovered momentarily in the air as the advance of attacks stopped. As he looked at her, she shouted, "Flamethrower!"

Without any hesitation, Ignitus locked his wings, and dove at his enemy, a jet of flame already streaming from his maw. As he reached the enemy, he snapped his wings open to hover a few feet above the ground, watching as the flame engulfed the enemy.

Ignitus flapped his wings as he lowered himself to the ground, holding his attack the whole time. When his clawed feet hit the ground, he closed his mouth, stopping the flow of fire. All that remained after the fire faded was a defeated dog pokemon.

"Din is unable to battle. Ignitus is the winner," Alex said, his voice void of much emotion. As he went to check on his pokemon, Ignitus turned his head to Sarah and gave her a huge, goofy smile, winking and giving her a thumbs up. Sarah laughed and returned the gesture.

When Din was resting by Padfoot, Alex stood back in his spot. He looked a bit nervous at the losses, but seemed like he still had enough confidence. Although Sarah was winning, she didn't let her guard down. Last time she did that, it almost cost her the battle.

Alex didn't take any time calling his last pokemon. "Go, Blaze!" The Houndour wagged his tail at his trainer before bounding into the arena. He placed himself in front of the dragon, and lowered his head, turning his eyes toward the dragon with a curled lip.

A short pause, then Alex shouted, "Go!"

"Ignitus, Flamethrower!"

"Blaze, Shadow Ball!"

Both pokemon released their attacks at the same time. As the jet of flame traveled to the small dog pokemon, a dark ball of shadow escaped the dog's mouth. As the attacks made contact, something Sarah didn't expect happened. The dark ball dissipated the flame, and traveled through the jet, before crashing into the dragon's face. The force and surprise made Ignitus growl, and stop his attack. He batted his clawed hands at his face, grunting with displeasure.

"Faint Attack!" Alex called.

Blaze lowered his head, then faded from appearance. Sarah's eyes went wide.

Once Ignitus opened his eyes, he looked to his enemy. But his eyes opened with surprise, and a confused grunt escaped his lips as he saw his enemy gone. His head looked to the left and right, but found the dog nowhere in sight.

Juts then, Sarah's eyes caught sight of the dog's appearance right behind her dragon. The dog growled, then leapt at the dragon.

"Ignitus, look out!" Sarah called.

But as Ignitus turned, the dog pokemon crashed heavily into his stomach, sending the much larger pokemon onto his back. As Ignitus landed with a great thud, Blaze leapt off of his stomach and landed on his feet just next to him.

"Smog!" Alex shouted.

Blaze barked, then began running laps around the dragon. As he did, a strange, purple smoke wafted off of him, surrounding Ignitus with a gas cloud.

As Ignitus got onto his feet, he gagged on the smoke, and squinted his eyes in an attempt to protect himself from the gas and see in front of him. But it was becoming thicker by the second.

Then, just as suddenly as the smoke came, a great ball of shadow appeared thought the fog and knocked Ignitus in the face, sending him onto his back again. The combination of the powerful attack and the smoke was too much.

As the gas faded, everyone saw the defeated dragon lying on his back.

"Ignitus is unable to battle! Blaze is the winner!" Alex said with triumph.

Sarah approached the dragon as he began to struggle to his feet. She helped him up and told him he did a good job as she led him back to the others.

Well, now it was one on one, and Sarah was taken by surprise at the power of each of Alex's pokemon. Although she had made a good choice in making Ignitus battle Din, Alex countered well against Ignitus's strengths with Blaze's abilities. It just goes to show that, even if you have good knowledge and intellect, you should always remember that your enemy can surprise you.

Sarah didn't want to stall, so she called, "Glaedr, go!" It was all up to the last two pokemon to decide the outcome of the battle.

Glaedr walked into the arena confidently. He stopped in front of the small pokemon, and turned his eyes down at him, watching him carefully.

Well, this would be an interesting battle. It seemed like Blaze and Glaedr had the same strengths. Glaedr might have had more power in his attacks and possibly more experience, but both pokemon were sly and good at taking their enemies by surprise. So, the rest of this would be a battle of wits.

"Go!" Alex called. Then, "Smog!"

"Wing Attack!" Sarah called.

As the Houndour secreted a plume of gas, Glaedr leapt in the air, then leveled himself with swift beatings of his wings, then thrust the gusts of wind in the smoke's direction. It sent the cloud back into Blaze, then swept out of existence as it blew past him. Blaze braced himself and kept his head down, protecting himself from the harsh buffets of wind.

As the enemy was distracted, Glaedr changed the direction of his flapping wings, and launched himself at the small dog. At the same time, the winds buffeting Blaze ceased, and he opened his eyes.

The pokemon made eye contact, and it was all up to their decision in moves.

The battle became one of hit and miss, with each pokemon trying to outwit the other. As Blaze shot a Shadow Ball at Glaedr, the dragon spiraled to the right, dodging the attack and attempted to land a prepared Solarbeam. But the smaller pokemon was quicker, and leapt easily to the side. Then, the dog stood still, awaiting the swiftly approaching dragon, then sprang away at the last second. Glaedr was just barely able to stop himself from slamming into the ground. Blaze took the time to leap onto Glaedr's back, then shoot a Shadow Ball onto his neck. Glaedr roared, then spiraled into an upside down position, ridding himself of the furry load.

As Blaze landed harmlessly onto his feet, he prepared another ball of shadow, and shot it at the enemy who was still righting himself in flight. His aim was true, as the ball engulfed the dragon's face, leaving an electric static glow at the finish. Glaedr roared again, and lost control of his wings through the pain and the lack of sight. He fell to the ground and landed on his side.

Before he could get up, Blaze ran to the dragon and circled him, covering the area with smoke. As Glaedr got onto his feet, he struggled to find a way out of the cloud, but found none, as the gas burned at his eyes and made it impossible to see.

Once the smoke cleared, the victim was once again found defeated by the gaseous cloud.

"Glaedr is unable to battle! Blaze is the winner!" Alex shouted with excitement.

All of the dog pokemon began to howl victoriously as their trainer whooped with excitement. Sarah smiled, happy for them despite her loss, and went to check on Glaedr. He stood up, seeming worn out, but unhurt, and the trainer's met in the middle of the battlefield.

They shook hands, smiling at each other. "Congratulations, Alex," Sarah said.

"Thanks," Alex beamed. "You guys did a great job too."

Sarah nodded as they released hands. "I guessed our tally is tied, then. One win each, and one tie."

"Yep," Alex said. He smirked. "I can't wait to see who breaks it."

Sarah folded her arms, mocking toughness. "Me neither."

The two laughed, and agreed it was time to call it a day.

After healing their pokemon, the large group spent the next couple hours discussing the battle and playing games. Ignitus and William did most of the playing, and Sarah and Alex did most of the talking. Rascal found pleasure in watching his friend and the Charizard play, and Saphira and Glaedr each watched their trainers, speaking an occasional comment to each other. The dogs found a spot by the table and wrestled, although as quietly as possible because they were in a building with other people. To save on the noise, they eventually changed their activity into a staring contest.

Despite the fun the group had, they departed for bed not long after sunset. They all knew they needed to be prepared for the upcoming Gym Battle. Sarah wondered which of them would fight first, and which of her father's pokemon she would fight. Then again, she was mostly curious to see his reaction to her battle request, and how well she would do. But she felt confident that she would win; she knew her father was a strong trainer, but she knew that her bond with her pokemon was strong, and their skills had developed much since they had been together. No doubt, they would do their best, and hopefully would earn themselves a new badge.

Without much other thought or conversation, everyone settled into bed, looking forward to the next day.

- - - - -

After breakfast the next morning, everyone began discussing the upcoming battle.

"So… When should we go?" Alex said. He shrugged his hands. "I don't care, since I think you should fight him first."

Sarah blinked. "Why?"

Alex shrugged. "Why not? He's your Dad, so I think you should go first."

Sarah considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Ok." She paused, then said, "Well, we can't really go anywhere until we fight him, so I say we go now." She looked to the others. "What do you think?"

William nodded with a smile. "Sounds good." Everyone else agreed, so they headed for the gym.

Upon arriving, Sarah began to feel the slight anxiety of a battle come over her. It wasn't overbearing, but it was enough to slightly dwindle her confidence. But she quickly told herself that they would be fine, and they would just do their best.

After talking to the receptionist, they were led into the battle arena. Sarah and the others walked to the middle of the field, waiting for her father to appear.

Sure enough, the door on the opposite side of the room opened, and out came Norman. He approached them, appearing to be checking his pockets for pokeballs, and not paying attention to the people in front of him. Sarah chuckled to herself. His face would definitely be a Kodak moment.

Once he reached them, he finally took his eyes off his pockets, and opened his mouth to say something. But the words stopped completely, and his eyes opened with surprised. Sarah chuckled, and gave a small wave, saying, "Hi, Dad."

Norman briefly shook the surprise off his face, and held out his arms, saying, "Sarah! Hi!" He embraced his daughter tightly as Sarah returned the gesture. As they parted, he looked at her with sarcastic suspicion. "Didn't want to tell me you were the challenger until right before the battle, huh?"

Sarah shrugged, smiling with pleasure at the small trick. "Well, I've always been good at surprises, haven't I?"

Norman chuckled, nodding. "Yes, you have." Sarah smiled. It was really good to see him, especially after the long journey and the many things that had taken place since the last time they saw each other.

Norman turned his eyes to the right, and smiled as he saw his son. "Hey, William," he said, giving him a hug. William hugged back, saying, "Hi Dad. I missed you."

They parted, and Norman said, "I missed you too." He bent down slightly, setting his height a little closer to William's. "Have you been behaving?"

William nodded. "Yeah. And I've been having lots of fun too."

"I'm glad to hear it," Norman said. He briefly rustled William's hair, the righted himself. As he looked at the rest of the group, he seemed like he didn't know where to start. After all, there were many in the group that he didn't know, and some had changed since their last meeting.

Sarah sensed his indecisiveness, and decided to help out. She first turned to Alex, and said, "Dad, this is Alex. He's a friend we met a while ago."

Norman nodded, and shook Alex's hand. "Hello, Alex."

"It's really nice to meet you, sir," Alex said. Although his tone was casual, he made sure he said it with respect.

After they released their grip, Norman asked, "Are you here for a battle, too?"

"Yeah. I was hoping to battle after Sarah."

Norman nodded. "That will be fine."

Now that Alex had been introduced, Norman looked at the pokemon. His reactions were different with each one; a broad smile as he saw the newly evolved Saphira, a realization that the Charizard was the same pokemon that had been a small Charmander during the last visit, and impression at the size of the Tropius that had not been introduced yet.

Sarah again saved him the trouble of asking, and said, "Well you can see that Saphira evolved." Saphira grunted with a smile in her eyes at her trainer's father, already knowing the man well, having grown up in the same house as the whole family.

"Indeed she has," Norman said with a proud smile.

"And you remember Ignitus," Sarah said, looking to her Charizard. The dragon beamed and waved vigorously at Norman.

He chuckled slightly. "Yes, I remember. Although, I don't remember him being this big."

Sarah smiled, and looked at her Tropius. "And, this is Glaedr."

Norman took in the size of the pokemon, and nodded. "Hello, Glaedr." Glaedr smiled, and gave a respectful nod.

Although Sarah was enjoying the catching up, she knew there would be plenty of time for it later. Right now, she wanted to focus on the battle.

And apparently, father and daughter were thinking alike, as Norman said, "Well, I can't wait to hear more after the battle." At least they were on the same page.

Sarah nodded, and said, "Well, can we start?"

Norman smiled. "You bet."

The two put on serious faces, although it was just for show, and the comical pleasure of the other. They both had the same sense of humor. Chuckling silently at the other, they shook hands, as if they were battle hardened trainers that just met, and turned to their assigned circles.

The group gathered behind Sarah, all waiting with excitement for the battle to begin. Sarah felt the usual anxiety and excitement of battle overtake her, despite the fact that it was against her father. She found that she felt it didn't matter that it was against him. She focused on the battle itself, and prepared to do the best she could.

"This will be a three on three battle!" the judge said. "Substitutions allowed! The first to knock out all the other's pokemon is the winner. Choose your pokemon!"

As with most Gym Leaders, Norman chose first. Sarah didn't know which it would be, but she knew what pokemon her father had. Although she hadn't had the privilege to see him battle a lot, she knew his pokemon well, almost as well as the whole family knew Saphira. Some of them were new ones that he had acquired recently, and some Sarah had practically grown up with. She was never immensely close to them, what with their main focus being training and most of their time spent at the gym with Norman, but she would recognize them as they were called. And, she would have a slight advantage to their battle tactics. She had seen her father train, and saw an occasional battle, so she had an idea of his fighting style.

After retrieving a pokeball from his pocket, Norman threw it into the arena, shouting, "Go, Goron!"

As the beam of light revealed the pokemon, Sarah chuckled. This pokemon, she knew well. Goron was a Slaking. Their longs limbs consisted of brown fur, their chests were bare, and their round faces were home to a large mouth.

As usual, Goron was found lying comfortably on the ground, yawing loudly. As much as any Slaking, he enjoyed sleeping. But Sarah wouldn't let her guard down; no matter his fondness of rest, she had known Goron to be a strong opponent. She would have to make her choice carefully.

Well, as she saw it, she had two choices; Saphira, for her defensive shell to protect her from his harsh blows, or Ignitus, for his reflexes to outmaneuver the slower pokemon. Although both were good choices, she felt that relying on Saphira's defense might cause an accidental injury. So, she decided to use speed.

"Go, Ignitus!"

The Charizard met his enemy in the middle of the arena, fanning his wings and claws in a battle stance.

"Let the battle begin!"

"Goron, Mega Kick!"

"Get in the air, Ignitus!"

As the Slaking jumped to his feet, using more speed than his previous position would have assumed, Ignitus flapped his wings and lifted himself into the air. Goron tried to land his attack, but missed as the dragon flew higher.

"Flamethrower!"

Ignitus opened his maw and shot the jet of flame at the pokemon. He hit his target dead on, engulfing him in fire.

"Mimic!" Norman shouted.

As Ignitus tried to hold his attack, another flame joined his, and began to push it back into him. The fire left the Slaking, and he was now seen releasing his own jet of flame back at the enemy.

"Metal Claw!" Sarah shouted.

Ignitus closed his mouth, then swiftly maneuvered himself to the left, letting the other flame pass by him. He took a moment to fan his claws with a silvery sheen, then flapped his wings violently, heading straight for the Slaking.

Luckily, the dragon's speed far outweighed the opponent's and his attack landed its target, earning Goron a harsh blow to the chest, sending him to his back.

"Flamethrower!" Sarah shouted.

Ignitus roared briefly, then engulfed the pokemon in fire. He held his attack for as long as possible, waiting for the enemy's reaction.

However, it didn't come. After a few seconds, the fire faded, and Sarah was surprised to see the pokemon already defeated.

"Goron is unable to battle. The winner is Ignitus!"

Ignitus landed as Norman recalled his pokemon. Without any comments, he reached for his next pokeball. Sarah waited for the next choice, wondering if it would be as easy as this one.

As he threw the ball into the arena, Norman shouted, "Go, Longshanks!"

A Lickitung appeared from the ball. It's smooth, pink skin shone slightly in the light. Two small, beady eyes rested above an agape mouth, which revealed a long, pink tongue.

Sarah figured this was one of his new ones. She had never met him before, so she had no idea of his battle tactics.

"Go!" the judge shouted.

"Flamethrower!"

"Rock Throw!"

As Ignitus breathed fire at his opponent, Longshanks reached down, then lifted a large rock above his head, apparently out of nowhere, as the ground looked untouched. He thrust it toward the jet of fire, and both attacks collided. The result was the dissipation of the fire, and the rock knocking the Charizard underneath the chin.

Ignitus's mouth was forced shut at the impact, and he stumbled backwards, clawing at his pained chin.

"Wrap!"

Longshanks stuck his massive tongue out, and wrapped it around the distracted dragon. It was enough to warp Ignitus's entire torso. Almost like a muscled arm, Longshanks squeezed tightly.

Ignitus growled as the constriction began to block off his air supply. He couldn't open his mouth to retaliate with fire, as his jaw was too sore to open. The constriction became tighter, and he began to feel lightheaded.

Finally, his lack of air got to him. His head lolled, and he passed out.

"Ignitus is unable to battle. Longshanks is the winner!" the judge called as the Lickitung released his captive. The dragon fell onto his stomach and lay there.

Sarah went to check on her dragon as Norman called "Well done!" to his pokemon. It took a second for Sarah to shake Ignitus awake. Once she did, she led him back to the others and prepared to choose her next pokemon.

Sarah considered her choices. Glaedr might be able to outwit the Lickitung, but he might not have enough speed to dodge the large tongue. Sarah didn't want a repeat of that defeat. Although Saphira was slower than Glaedr, Longshanks might find it difficult to squeeze her hard shell.

"Saphira, go!" Sarah called.

Saphira waddled out to the arena, her battle face prominent in her yellow eyes.

"Go!"

"Longshanks, Ice Punch!"

"Saphira, Protect!"

A cerulean glow surrounded Longshanks' fist, and he swung at the same time the Shelgon put up the sapphire shield. The icy fist connected with it, a 'ding' sound echoing through the arena as it was stopped.

"Dragonbreath!"

"Wrap!"

As soon as Saphira lowered her shield and prepared her attack, the Lickitung thrust his tongue, wrapping the dragon before she had a chance to attack.

However, as he squeezed, his attack was useless. The worst it did for Saphira was block her vision.

But that wasn't enough to keep her from following her command. She opened her mouth and released the electric stream, first engulfing the tongue that surrounded her. Soon enough, it spread to Lonsganks' body, and he cried out, releasing the dragon as the attack pained him. Saphira concentrated her attack as long as she could.

Luckily, she held it long enough. Eventually, she stopped the attack as the Lickitung fell to his back, his tongue lolling on the ground comically, his limbs protruding in the air like a dead Spinarak.

"Longshanks is unable to battle! Saphira is the winner!"

"Nice going, Saphira!" Sarah called as Longshanks was called back to his pokeball. She looked at her trainer long enough to grunt, and returned her attention to the battle.

After returning the pokeball to his pocket, Norman retrieved his third and last for the battle.

As he threw it, he called, "Go, Minatour!"

A Tauros appeared from the light. Two small horns protruded from his head, and a large, brown main grew around his neck. He dug his hooves into the earth, snorting a powerful gust of air out of his nostrils.

This pokemon, Sarah knew too. As far as strength and wit go, Minatour was her father's best pokemon. He sure decided to save the hardest for last.

"Go!"

"Minatour, Hyper Beam!"

"Saphira, Protect!"

Unfortunately, Sarah's command was delayed, as she had been thinking about the enemy she was about to face. And the hesitation cost Saphira the time to follow the command.

Just before the shield was up, the electric bronze attack hit her squarely in the face. She cried out as the massive attack engulfed her, no matter the protection her shell gave her. Once it dissipated, she fell to the ground without a struggle.

"Saphira is unable to battle! Minatour is the winner!"

Sarah collected her dragon and brought her back to the others as Norman congratulated his pokemon. That had been a fast loss, but Sarah wasn't about to let it get her down. After all, she still had one pokemon, and Minatour was her father's last.

"Go, Glaedr!" she called. Glaedr ran to the middle of the arena, standing in front of his opponent with a glare. He knew how much was counting on his win. Both pokemon seemed to know; they both bore into each other's eyes, Glaedr's lip curling as Minatour's hooves dug the earth.

Sarah tried to think of the best course of attack. Although a Hyper Beam would have taken a large amount of energy from Minatour, Tauros's were usually know for the endurance, and tempers. And she knew Minatour to share Glaedr's strengths; he had already proven his attack power with Saphira's swift defeat. She hoped that flight would give them an advantage.

"Go!" the judge called.

"Minatour, Double-Edge!"

"Glaedr, get in the air!"

As Minatour crowed loudly and lowered his horns, Glaedr beat his wings and lifted himself into the air. The Tauros ran underneath him as he cleared the ground.

"Glaedr, Solarbeam!"

"Minatour, Hyper Beam!"

The attacks were called at the same time, and they were released in unison. As expected, they both collided in midair, shattered sparks of bronze around sparkles of emerald.

"Wing Attack!" Sarah called.

As Glaedr beat his wings forward, Minatour was buffeted by the strong winds. Being too weak to retaliate after such a large attack, he simply lowered his head and planted his hooves in the ground, holding himself in place.

Sarah swiftly searched her mind for a good way to take advantage of Minatour's momentary weakness.

"Glaedr, Razor Leaf!"

Along with the buffets of wind that Glaedr continued to surge at his enemy, razor sharp leaves flew from his wings. The collided with the bracing bull, causing him to cry out at the strong attack.

"Aerial Ace!" Sarah called.

Glaedr stopped his attacks abruptly, then launched himself at the Tauros.

"Take Down!" Norman called.

Minatour didn't waste any time in launching himself at the oncoming dragon. The two collided with great force, the result being a harsh blow on both. They were both thrown back at the hard impact; Minatour landed on his back, and skidded a few feet away, as Glaedr was knocked completely out of flight, hitting the ground and rolling twice before coming to a stop on his side.

Both pokemon struggled to their feet, shaking their heads a bit. But they didn't let their guard down for long.

As the righted themselves, both opponents made eye contact. As they bore into each other's eyes, they began circling each other, much like battle hardened lions, waiting for the other to strike. Glaedr lifted his lip with a growl bubbling in his throat, as Minatour occasionally snorted a puff of air.

There was a pause, then Norman called, "Take Down!"

Minatour let a battle cry, then took a running leap for his enemy. As the Tauros closed in on the dragon, Sarah called, "Solarbeam!"

As if they had the same mind, Norman retaliated his first command by saying, "Hyper Beam!"

As Minatour came within inches of Glaedr, they shared eye contact for a brief instant, then released their attacks.

The result was explosive. The sparks of bronze and shimmers of emerald engulfed both pokemon, each being too close as the attacks made contact. Both cried out as they were shoved away from each other by the impact, and both went rolling away.

Then, they both became momentarily still. Everyone watched, waiting for something to happen.

Just then, Glaedr stirred. He growled uncomfortably, then forced his feet to lift him. He staggered, then stood tall, looking over to the defeated opponent.

"Minatour is unable to battle! Glaedr is the winner!"

Sarah couldn't have been happier with this win. She threw a fist into the air and shouted "WHOOOO!!!" She could hear William joining her celebration behind her.

After Norman recalled his pokemon, he went to the middle of the arena as Sarah approached Glaedr. She told him what a good job he did, and looked to her father as he walked up.

Despite his loss, Norman was smiling. "That was well done, Sarah," he said. He appeared too happy for her to be upset over his loss.

"Thanks," Sarah said with a big smile. Although she had focused on the battle and didn't think about the fact that she had been fighting her Dad, she couldn't help thinking, _I beat my Dad!_

Norman continued to smile, then retrieved a small item from his pocket. He put it into his daughter's hand and said, "Here's your badge."

Sarah inspected it with a smile. It appeared to be a two-dimensional, miniature dumbbell. It was a simple shade of silver, shining under the light in her palm.

She looked up at her dad and said, "Thanks." He nodded. He was very proud of her, knowing that this was a big day in her life as a trainer.

After putting the badge away, Sarah and the group stayed to watch Alex battle. After a couple of close calls, he managed a win, too.

After healing their pokemon at the Pokemon Center, the rest of the day was spent catching up. Sarah told her father about all the things she had done on her journey, and how much she was enjoying herself. She left out any mention of Amanda, as she didn't want to spoil the socialization with negativity. And she left out what happened with Glaedr; although Norman was her father, she felt that what happened was personal to Glaedr, and it didn't need to be brought up unless necessary.

Before they knew it, it was time for bed. Sarah and William felt it would be more fun to spend the night outside, and Alex agreed. So, the large group spent the night together on a route just outside of town, finding themselves staying up late in their enjoyment of each other's company.

Eventually, they found sleep, looking more and more forward to the next day.

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Again, I would like to thank you for your patience. In all honesty, I have been looking forward to writing the end of this story because of what I have planned, and my excitement makes it a bit harder to write the current events. I appreciate your interest in the story. If you have any questions or comments, I will answer them here, or through a private message.

A couple little tidbits: One thing that inspired this story was my saved game on Pokemon Sapphire. I actually did play the game all the way through with a Salamence named Saphira, a Charizard named Ignitus, and a Tropius named Glaedr. Beating the game with three dragons was very enjoyable, and I felt it would be fun to put a storyline to it.

I almost named Norman's Tauros Angus, but I thought that would make you focus on steak instead of the battle ;).

Thanks for reading, and a review would be greatly appreciated. And, if you feel like it, I would love to hear what your favorite part of the story was so far.


	21. Museum Mysteries

I'm sorry for such a short chapter after such a long wait. But I haven't been as inspired as usual, plus I've been writing Final Fantasy IX: Revised . Honestly I haven't quit this story and I don't plan too. But this chapter contains some important information to the plot, and I hope it is enough to make up for the long wait : ).

Thanks to anyone who's still reading this story, and please enjoy the chapter!

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One week after Sarah's battle victorious versus her father, the group found themselves back in Mauville. Alex departed for Dewford to see his father, who was substituting for the gym's usual judge. The constant traveling made them heed their need of rest, and they rested once they reached the large town.

After waking up that morning, they felt ready to proceed to the next city, and the next badge.

"An acorn?" Sarah said, trying to guess what William was spying. They were currently walking down Route 119 in about mid-afternoon and were keeping busy with a spying game. They had been walking along the same route for two days, as it was the longest one on the map yet. But keeping each other amused wasn't hard. With these guys, all it took was a game and some time together.

He shook his head. "Nope." The only clue currently given was that the object was round. After a pause where no one else guessed, he said, "Sometimes it looks small… and it's not very bright during certain times of the day…"

Saphira smirked. 'Sarah's brain?'

"What'd she say?" William asked as Sarah stuck her tongue out at the dragon.

"The wrong answer," Sarah said, un-offended by the casual joke but getting enjoyment over pretending to be.

Ignitus leaned closer to William and translated. Now it felt like a bummer that William began to understand him during their rest in Mauville. It wasn't a surprise considering how much time they had spent together practicing small acrobatics and playing games until late in the night. They not only managed to master perfect cartwheels and lightning rounds of Rock Paper Scissors, but William could now understand Ignitus almost as well as Sarah could. And _that_ just left them to constant conversation.

William chuckled. "_Very_ good guess, but no."

Ignitus pointed a clawed finger toward the sky. 'The sun!'

William nodded with a large grin. "Yep!"

Well that was a new one. In all the times they'd played this game no one had thought to spy the sun. Or describe it that way. And make it so easy to make a joke out of it.

Yeah. They had a lot of fun.

A little time later, the next city came into view. As they had read about it before coming here, they knew that the town, Fortree, was made up of tree houses. Not like the ones that would be built in a backyard; real houses that had been built up in trees. Granted that only let them be a certain size, but entering the town gave everyone a cozy feel. It almost felt like living in a partially civilized wilderness. The ground was covered in grass other than the areas worn into dirt paths thanks to daily walking. The only technological things seen on the outside were the Pokemart, Center, and Gym, which were the only buildings resting on the ground.

Upon entering the Pokemon Center, it didn't look any different than the others they had seen. They took a rest at a table as they discussed what they would do next.

"Well, I think we should wait until tomorrow to get the badge," Sarah said. "We're all too tired to do it any sooner." No one objected. If they wanted to win, they needed to be ready. "So, why don't we take a look around the town?" That was usually what they did when they had free time.

When everyone agreed, they left the center and started exploring the city.

The mechanics of getting around the town made the entire place feel like one big tree house. Once the dirt paths ended, stairs led up to wooden bridges that attached themselves to porches. There were quite a few houses, mostly the same size. An occasional passerby would say hello and admire the pokemon. Other than that, the group mostly just took in the sights.

Upon reaching the end of the long bridge the group stepped back down onto a dirt path on the other side of town. On the left rested two large, regular buildings. The one closest to them was recognized as the Gym. They stopped long enough to admire the building and read the sign. Bits of Sarah's memory were jolted as the sign revealed the leader to be Winona, the Flying Pokemon Master. Only bits of the page she read about the trainer could be remembered, but at least knowing the type was enough to give them an idea for strategy. They proceeded to the next building, finding a large sign above that read, 'Fortree Antique and Local Painting Museum.'

That was enough to intrigue Sarah. After asking the others what they thought and finding they were also interested, they all walked in.

Sarah was surprised to see such a large museum in such a small town. Especially one that looked as if it belonged in a typical town, not one made up of tree houses. Although the ceiling was tall, the building contained, from their sight, one large, two hundred by one hundred foot room. There were four rows of large, glass-incased shelves stretching from the entrance to the other side of the room, each home to about ten paintings each. There was a label above each one. Upon approaching the first, Sarah noticed the label that said 'Fortree School Elementary Honorable Artist Paintings.' The shelves were covered in framed paintings of pokemon and scenery. Although the label said elementary children did them, Sarah found them to be very well done.

"Look at _that_ one!" William beamed, pointing to a painting of a family of Zigzagoons. Rascal barked happily in his arms, pawing at the glass and tail wagging excitedly.

"That's really cute," Sarah agreed. She scanned the rest of the paintings, each one impressing her with the detail. There was a Dragonite flying against a rustic sky during sunset, a pair of Pikachus wrestling next to a stream, a flock of Butterfree flying next to hatching Caterpie, and many other enjoyable artworks. Although Sarah was somewhat of an artist, she never felt that she could pull off anything this well detailed. If this was what the local elementary kids could do she couldn't wait to see the antique paintings.

After scanning a few more rows of paintings they finally found the section containing antique and other paintings. No matter how well done the others were, these were _outstanding._ The detail and backgrounds made Sarah feel as if she was inside the painting.

Just then, Sarah looked to her right as she heard a pair of footsteps coming toward her. Her eyes rested on a middle-aged man with a bright smile. Upon reaching them, he said, "Hello. Welcome to the Fortree Museum."

"Thanks," Sarah said. The man acknowledged every one else with a 'hello,' but didn't seem to find it odd to have two large dragons in the museum. Sarah guessed that pokemon came in with their trainers often.

After glancing at the paintings, the man said, "Are you enjoying the artwork?"

Sarah nodded. "Yeah. They're great." She looked at one of the paintings, one with a Dragonair swimming in a lake that looked like it could be touched, and said, "Where did all these paintings come from?"

"Well," the man started, "Each one was donated from a various person. Some gave their own paintings for a chance to have their work on display. Some had old art from family members and sold them to us." He grinned with a wink. "We like to encourage artwork. That's why we display paintings of the local children."

Sarah nodded. She found it a unique and wonderful idea to display children's artwork. Encouraging passion and talent seemed to be something that would encourage any child to find the beauty in nature and pokemon.

The man pointed a finger just in front of the glass at the Dragonair painting. "For example, this one was done by one of the experienced locals. He drew pokemon when he was a child and studied pokemon habits and developed beautiful skills."

He lowered his finger and did a head gesture to the next painting, one of an Arcanine circled in a ring of fire. "And this one is one of my personal favorites. A trainer came here a few years ago with a talented Smeargle. While they stayed here they learned of the museum and asked if one of the Smeargle's paintings could be displayed. When we said we'd be happy to, they came back the next day with this one."

Sarah was impressed with the painting. It was one of the best ones they had seen yet. Although there weren't many Smeargles around here, she had read about them in books and knew they were known as the 'artist' pokemon.

"It looks so real!" William awed.

"Yes," the man said, a look of admiration in his eyes. "All Smeargles have a gift for art, but this one had a true passion and talent for it."

Sarah scanned some of the paintings on the shelf, thoroughly impressed with each one. Her eyes began to scan the shelf next to it, and one caught her eye. She couldn't see it well from where she stood, so she took a step to the left to examine it.

The majority of the painting was various colors of blue, most mystified in some areas, looking as if it was all in a mist. At the bottom of the page was a human like figure, but the gender was impossible to know as the whole thing was colored a light, swirling blue, lighter than the background, so the face couldn't be seen. In its lifted and outstretched hand was an orb, colored the same as the person, but a few bright rays of light strayed around it. And near the top was a twisted, serpent-like shape. Although the details of the face were impossible to see, being the same swirling color as the person and orb, it appeared to have a large, opened mouth.

It all looked…

Familiar.

Just then, almost as if in a dream, a single image flashed in front of Sarah's entire line of vision. It was so fleeting that Sarah wondered if it even happened. But what she had seen was the image of the creature in her dream. The one she had that night in Dewford.

She just stared. What happened?

"Sarah?"

She almost jumped as she heard her name. When she turned to look, she saw her brother looking at her a bit strangely, almost as if he had called her more than once. She looked at the others, finding Ignitus and Glaedr with the same looks, and Saphira looking at her as if she sensed something had happened.

Sarah blinked. Maybe she zoned out?

Still unsure if what she saw was real, she tried for cover, and for a question to be answered. She pointed at the painting and said, "What about this one?"

"Ahh," the man said, as if admiring something beautiful and mysterious. "_That_ is one of our most interesting paintings. A local gave it to us twenty years ago. Said her Great Grandfather painted it, but she had no use for it. She thought it would be a nice addition to the museum." He frowned a bit. "But no one is sure what's in the picture or what it means." He smiled. "But it is beautiful."

Sarah looked at the picture and blinked, a strange, slightly frightened feeling buzzing around in her chest. "Does she still live here?" she asked, looking at him. She wasn't sure why she asked, but she felt she had to.

The man paused, then shook his head. "No. She moved a little while afterward."

Sarah paused, then looked back at the painting. She stared for a moment, wondering if the scene would flash again. But it didn't, and she began to wonder if she had imagined it.

But if she still felt the shock, how could it have just been her imagination?

- - - - -

After dinner that night, the group found a camping area just outside of town. There was still enough light in the sky for a game of Hide and Seek. William and Ignitus jumped at the idea and immediately started playing, along with Rascal, before it got too dark. Once it got too dark there was no fun in it for Ignitus, as his tail flame would make him easy to find. Although Glaedr considered himself too big for the game, he made himself the supervisor and went along to keep an eye on them. Sarah and Saphira preferred to stay behind and watch. Saphira stayed because Sarah stayed.

Sarah stayed because she felt she had a lot to think about.

Ever since they left the museum, the image she saw wouldn't leave her mind. She had forgotten all about her dream, but now it was impossible to ignore. The painting might not have been very clear, but the creature on the top looked like the creature in her dream. And what was with the sight flashing in front of her? Was it in her mind or had she really seen it? Clearly, her dream had been remembered because of the painting. Were her dream and this painting connected in some way? How could they be? It was just a dream. How could she dream about a painting she'd never seen before?

"Saphira," Sarah said, keeping her gaze on the patch of woods that the others were hiding in.

'Is this about the museum?'

Sarah looked at the dragon, finding her yellow eyes looking at her as she lay on the ground next to her. She nodded.

Saphira blinked once, then looked at the trees. 'I knew you had seen something. I could sense it.' She looked at her. 'And I believe it had something to do with the painting. I know what it resembled.'

It came as no surprise to Sarah.

"I… saw the creature in my dream flash in front of me," Sarah said, almost finding it frightening to say. It felt so strange to go from a typical journey and trip to a museum and watch it turn into an uncomfortable string of events. "It looked like the one in the painting."

There was a short silence. This often happened when Saphira needed to think something through before she gave insight on a subject. 'I do not have an explanation for it. It cannot be just a coincidence, yet I see no way that they can be connected.'

Sarah paused. "Do you think it means anything?" She knew it had to mean something. But she hoped it didn't.

'I believe that it means something, yet I do not know what.' She looked at Sarah. 'But we should not let it interfere with our journey. If these things are connected in some way, they will eventually be revealed. In the meantime, worrying will do us no good.' She blinked, and a smile entered her eyes. 'And I will help you, no matter what happens.'

Sarah considered it for a moment. She hoped nothing would happen. This was unlike anything she had ever seen or felt. It was one of the strangest and most frightening because she had no way of knowing what it all meant. But she agreed that trying to figure it out and worrying about it would lead to nothing. And she had her friends to help her. Something like this would be revealed eventually.

Finding nothing else to say, she said, "Yeah. Thanks."

'Of course.'

After settling down that night, Sarah tried to keep the thought out of her mind. It was difficult, but she eventually managed. Anything that happened would be something they could get through. Although Sarah doubted anything big was connected to this. It was probably just a strange coincidence that would be forgotten. But nevertheless, she hoped anything that happened wouldn't be too big.

And she hoped she would be ready for whatever it was.

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Sarah was relieved to find the next morning about as normal as usual. The incident of the day before remained in the back of her mind, but she found it easier than she thought to keep it away from her current goal. Although she did take enough time to mention the incident to the others, they left it alone (which took a little more explaining than she thought. She hadn't even told anyone about the dream except Saphira and Glaedr. The others found it interesting, but they eventually agreed to say nothing of it because no one knew what it meant. Sarah was glad that they didn't try to pursue it, no matter how odd they found it. But at least there weren't any more secrets.).

Instead, Sarah focused on the battle arena before her, waiting for Winona to call her first pokemon. They decided to challenge her around mid morning and see if they still had enough energy to get on their way to the next town before nightfall. The battle would be two pokemon each.

And luckily, the urge and excitement of battle gave Sarah's mind a chance to focus on that only and forget about what happened the day before.

Finally, Winona retrieved a pokeball from her pocket, enlarged it and threw it into the arena, shouting, "Go Blade!"

A Scyther appeared from the beam of light. His sword like arms were crossed in front of his closed eyes as if in deep concentration. Upon opening his eyes, a glare glinted in his pupils and his arms fanned down at his sides with a cry, as if swiping two enemies from behind.

Scythers were fast, Sarah knew that much. But his type and that information made her choice easy.

"Go Ignitus!"

Instead of flying to his spot, Ignitus decided to show off his newly developed acrobatics by cart wheeling all the way to the middle, finishing off with a front flip and landing on his feet. Sarah chuckled.

"Let the battle begin!" the judge shouted.

"Wing Attack!"

"Flamethrower!"

As Ignitus thrust a great stream of fire at the Blade, the Scyther dodged the flame by leaping with great accuracy, flipping through the air and landing gently behind Ignitus. By this time, Ignitus stopped the fire and began to turn to face him. But Blade was quicker and thrust his shoulder into the dragon's back, sending him rolling forward. As Blade ran forward for a counterattack, Ignitus took advantage of his rolling position by flipping forward and landing on his feet. He spun to meet the Scyther, fanning his silver gleaming claws and slashing downward. Blade met the attack with one of his arms, catching Ignitus's claws like another sword. The display resulted in a back and forth slash from each pokemon, blade versus claw, very much like a double sword fight. Both trainers simply let the battle carry out as the pings of each clash reverberated off the walls.

After a few seconds of constant battle Ignitus faked a slash to the left, tricking the Scyther into attempting a block. Ignitus used the distraction as an opening to land a perfect uppercut right underneath Blade's chin. It sent him upwards and then onto his back. Ignitus wasted no time on covering the pokemon in a hot stream of fire.

Once he felt that he'd done enough damage, Ignitus ceased the flame. The result was a defeated Scyther.

"Blade is unable to battle! Ignitus is the winner!"

Sarah congratulated Ignitus with a big smile and thumbs up, which he returned with just as much excitement. She had never seen him use his Metal Claw so efficiently. He knew exactly how to counter his enemy's strength that happened to be a type of sword fighting. Not to mention it looked _really_ cool.

Once the defeated Scyther returned to his pokeball, Winona selected her second and last pokemon. Upon tossing the ball into the arena, she shouted, "Go Falco!" A Swellow appeared, fanning his wings and crying out in an acceptance of the challenge.

Yet another fast pokemon. But Sarah had confidence in Ignitus. He had done well with the Scyther and he was currently her fastest dragon.

"Let the battle begin!"

"Falco, Aerial Ace!"

"Ignitus, Wing Attack!"

Both pokemon leapt off the ground, flapping their respective wings and launched themselves at each other. After a head on crash in mid air they almost fell to the ground. But they managed to keep themselves in flight and ascended further.

Using the air as their arena, they began to circle each other and use whatever aerial movements they could to dodge any attack thrown at them. Ignitus took a dive to dodge a Peck attack and Falco swerved away to avoid being singed by a Flamethrower. The result was a display of various aerial acrobatics sprinkled with an occasional squawk, roar, fast beak and jet of fire.

Ignitus puffed smoke out of his nostrils with annoyance. This little bird was avoiding everything he threw at him. Although he was fast himself, the bird's size made maneuvering easier, therefore making him faster. He'd have to trick him if he was going to win.

It didn't take long to decide how to do it.

Smiling that Ignitus smile, the Charizard lowered his flight until he was gliding a steady ten feet above ground. Although he believed this attack would win the battle he didn't want to seriously injure the enemy. Falco followed suit and began to fly towards him from above. Ignitus then slowed his flight, letting the bird fly directly above him.

Once he was directly above his head, Ignitus spun his body upside down then released a jet of flame right into the unsuspecting bird. He released as much as he could as his wings became hard to control trying to fly upside down.

When he finally felt that he was losing control of his wings, Ignitus stopped the flame and righted his flight. As he flapped them to keep himself elevated, the bird fell past him and landed on his back on the ground, legs pointing toward the ceiling for losing emphasis.

"Falco is unable to battle! The winner is Ignitus, and the victory goes to Sarah!"

"Yes!" Sarah shouted as Ignitus landed in front of her. They shared a quick hug then she and William began complimenting his clever sword fight and idea to trick the Swellow. Honestly, Sarah had never seen him fight like that. It was the best he'd ever done. Ignitus just smiled and accepted the compliments somewhat shyly, fanning his wings like an excited habit.

"Well done," Winona said as she reached them. She already had the badge in hand and handed it to Sarah. Sarah accepted it with thanks and inspected it. It was a solid white, shaped like a curved, feathered wing.

"Good luck with the rest of your journey," she said.

"Thanks," Sarah said, and they all headed for the exit.

As they walked back to the Pokemon Center, William continued to compliment Ignitus for the sword fight. He even mimicked some of the moves and made sound effects. Eventually the two began sword fighting with invisible swords as they walked. Everyone laughed. It was so strange, yet adorable to see a large dragon and a little boy act like close brothers.

As Sarah began to tune out the little game, the battle that had taken place started to make her think. She remembered what a small Charmander Ignitus had been when she found him and how scared he was of battling. Now he was a powerful Charizard with no fear of battle and many developed skills. He had grown so much and faced his fear so well.

It made her think; if he could face his fear so well, couldn't she? Then again her fear was different. Ignitus knew what he was afraid of, but she didn't. It was something mysterious and unexplainable. But no matter the fear, she could face it if he could. Even though she had no idea what the outcome would be, she could handle whatever it was. Just as he had. She had her friends and there was no need to worry. Just let them happen and worry about them later.

That was what she had to do.

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I hope you enjoyed it. Every review I get inspires me to keep going so feel free to leave one. If you do, I will get back to you : ).


	22. The Events That Collide and Connect

Hi everybody.

Thanks for checking out the next chapter of Dragon Master. I hope my updates haven't been too slow. I know you guys like the story and I feel bad that I don't update often, but I'm trying: )

And just as a few notes, I know in the last chapter I put a Museum in Fortree even though there isn't really one there, but that's why this is fanfiction. It's Hoenn, but I'm adding a few extras for this story. And in this chapter, the group reaches Lilycove. And in that town there's supposed to be a Museum, but I changed that too. It's all part of the plot! Trust me!

And I appreciate how many people have put this story on their favorites and alert lists, but if you do, please leave a review. It really helps for me to hear what people like about this story, if there's anything you're particularly enjoying, and anything I need to improve on. So please leave one!

Enjoy the chapter!

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He took a steadying breath, ignoring the drop of sweat that trickled down his chin. The pressure of the mission began to set in. He couldn't fail this. One member had already failed the first part. If he failed this, the plan would be ruined. And Archie wouldn't accept another loss.

"Are they still there?" his mission companion asked. She wasn't as nervous as he, but her impatience revealed her anticipation. The man reminded himself that he had a partner with him on this job, unlike the member that had failed. And their current citizen attire (rather than their usual uniforms) helped to conceal their membership in the gang of thieves. But all the same, the pressure of having no second chance if they failed made it all nerve racking.

He peeked around the corner to check. The guard remained positioned next to the door just down the hall, a Growlithe sitting obediently at his side. The Team Aqua member swallowed carefully as another drop of sweat traveled down the length of his cheek. If he didn't calm down, the pokemon would sense his presence.

He turned his head slightly to his partner and nodded. The woman nodded back and retrieved a pokeball from her pocket, pressing the button on the front to enlarge it. He followed suit with one of his own pokeballs. They only had one shot at this. If they failed to get the second, and now only, Master ball… he didn't even want to think about the punishment that awaited them.

In unison, the two looked at each other, nodded, and leapt into the hallway, pokeballs sailing toward the enemy.

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They didn't find the need to leave the city for another two days. True that the excitement of their sixth badge win gave them the urge to continue, the rest and the one of a kind town made them stay a little longer. They explored a little bit each day, and ended the day with a training session, followed by games around the campfire before going to bed. The fun of waking up and knowing you didn't have to leave felt good. But after the two days, their anticipation got the best of them, and they were back on the road early that morning.

Now late in the afternoon, Sarah's Pokenav map showed that they weren't far from the next city, Lilycove. They looked forward to a nice exploration of the city, then another nice rest. Then they'd be off to Mossdeep for the next badge. They grew stronger and more confident in their abilities with each training session, and it left them eager for another win. They currently walked down the trail, playing a game to pass the time. Sarah was glad that her constant time with her friends and anticipation for battle put the incident at the museum in the back of her mind. It lingered on most of her thoughts, but she as able to ignore it enough to enjoy herself.

"Okay…" William said, a look of determined concentration on his face. He walked with his eyes closed, his pointer fingers resting on his temples as if he was using psychic energy. Ignitus walked behind him cautiously, afraid that William might come close to another run in with a tree. "I'm thinking of a number between one and ten. What is it?"

'Nine.'

"AAWW!" William exclaimed, lowering his fingers and opening his eyes to look at the Tropius that strolled next to him. Her wasn't upset or frustrated, but amazed. "How'd you know!?"

Glaedr smirked. 'It was the same number as last time.'

After Sarah translated, William looked at the dragon and asked, still in disbelief, "How did you know I was gonna pick the same number?"

'Because you began to panic when I was correctly guessing all the numbers, and that usually leads to an attempt of trickery.'

After translation, William paused, blinking as he tried to figure out how that made sense.

"How did you guess all of the numbers?"

With a sly smirk, Glaedr said, 'I guess I'm just good at this game.' William frowned. Sarah snickered.

"Are you _sure_ you're not a psychic type pokemon?" William asked.

Glaedr nodded, a playful and proud smirk on his face. 'Positive.'

William's eyebrows scrunched as he thought hard, trying to figure out how Glaedr was so good at the game. No one else could guess the numbers on the first try other than the Tropius. He guessed it was just a talent.

Just then, anything the group may have said was cut off as Saphira and Glaedr stopped in their tracks. Both their gazes shot to the woods on the right. Once the dragons suddenly paused, everyone else stopped. Sarah looked at her pokemon's alert eyes and followed their gazes. Her stomach clenched as cliché reared its ugly head. Whenever they did that, something was wrong.

As they stared, the sound of voices steadily became audible, and the quick rustle of leaves. After a few seconds, it became loud enough to make out the words.

"You said you had a pokemon that could fly us out of here!" the first voice yelled angrily. It sounded like a woman, tone exasperated and panicky.

"I'm looking for it!" the second said. The male voice sounded just as panicky, but a bit winded.

Sarah's eyes remained glued to the area the voices carried from, although they moved as they voices got closer. Should they run? Was this a danger or just something that wasn't their business?

Before anyone made any kind of decision, the pair burst through the trees and ran in their direction, both sets of eyes glued on the man, who fished through his pockets.

"Hurry up already!" the woman shouted. As the man looked up to counter her, his eyes caught sight of the group just ahead. He came to a sudden halt and grabbed his partner's arm, halting her in her tracks. She followed his eyes and saw what he was looking at. They both froze, eyes wide.

Sarah stared at them. She wasn't sure what to think of all of this, but something didn't feel right. They both stared back, the looks of cornered rabbits etched across their features. They appeared normal enough to Sarah, other than the fact that they looked like they were running away from something. Were they up to something?

The man pulled his cohort closer and whispered, "We can't let anybody see us!"

The woman leaned a bit closer, her eyes never leaving the staring group. "Just find your pokemon and get us out of here!" They both turned to run.

Just before they could make a move, Glaedr roared in warning as he pushed off from the ground and flew over their heads. He spun in the air and landed on the other side, blocking their passage. The two stopped in their tracks and backed away from the dragon.

Glaedr lowered his head, lip curling in a warning. As the people took another step back, he roared over their heads in Sarah's direction.

Sarah stomach did a loop. _They're Team Aqua? How did he know?_ They appeared to be normal people, no uniforms visible. But no matter how they appeared to her, Sarah trusted her dragon. At first, she was afraid that Glaedr might act irrationally like he had during their last encounter. But she knew he would only act violently if someone was threatened. But did he stop them because he was upset with all members of Team Aqua, or did he know what they were up to? Why did it have to be Team Aqua in the first place? Didn't they have enough trouble with them already?

Sarah looked them over, although their backs were facing her. She saw something clenched in the woman's left hand. It looked like a pokeball.

In unison, the pair turned to look at them, faces ever livid with fear. Sarah glanced behind her, finding her brother standing still a little ways back, Rascal held closely to his chest. Ignitus braced himself in a battle stance on her right side, seeming to sense the danger that might be surrounding them. Saphira stood on her left, eyes piercing the pair as if she sensed a threat. She looked back at the people. Although Sarah made a rule to stay away from Team Aqua, her dragons' reactions were enough to tell her not to ignore the situation.

The man and woman unlatched themselves from each other's arms and looked at Sarah, their faces calming casually. "Excuse me, but could you please call off your pokemon?" the woman said, her voice collected and polite. "We need to get through." She spoke as if she was talking to a friend.

Even through her slight fear, Sarah almost laughed. Although she wouldn't have known they were Team Aqua without Glaedr telling her, did they really think that there was no suspicion when they ran out of the woods like they were being chased, and that they could trick her into thinking that they were friendly passerbys? Instead of falling for it, she tried to calculate what they might have done. Probably stole something. She scanned their bodies and saw the pokeball in the woman's hand. Did it contain _her_ pokemon, or a _stolen _one?

Concentrating on the matter and keeping herself serious and calm, Sarah asked with a slight frown, "Where'd you get that pokeball?"

A flicker of fear crossed the woman's face, but disappeared almost instantly. She simply shrugged with a casual smile, saying, "It has my pokemon in it."

Sarah's frown deepened. It had to be a stolen pokemon. She wouldn't let them get away with it, and they wouldn't back down from a request with dragons surrounding them.

"Show me," Sarah said. It wasn't a demand, but she used enough affirmity to let the woman know that she knew she was lying. If the pokemon inside panicked at the sight of Team Aqua she would know it was stolen.

The woman's fake smile fell, and she froze. She seemed to know that her show of friendship wasn't fooling anybody. That let Sarah know that whatever was in the pokeball was stolen. There was a pause, and unbeknownst to anyone but the two, the man quietly retrieved a pokeball from his pocket. The woman slowly raised the ball, pressing the button to enlarge it as she did.

A pause.

Then…

"NOW!"

Within a second, them man enlarged his pokeball just as the woman spun around, retrieved a pokeball from her pocket, and the balls were thrown in unison, one at Glaedr and one at Sarah. Immediately, a Fearow burst from the ball in front of Glaedr and swooped down to attack the dragon. In the same second, a Dragonite burst from the man's pokeball in front of Sarah. Before she could so much as blink, it opened its mouth and fired a great Hyper Beam in her direction. She had no time to react; only to close her eyes and wait for the blow.

But it was different than she expected it to be.

Instead of feeling herself immersed in an electrical stream, something very large slammed into her legs and stomach and knocked her off her feet. As she hit the ground, she rolled a few yards backwards, stopping on her stomach, eyes still closed in shock and sudden pain. She heard a yell, a screech, a call of her name, a roar, then after a few rustles, the steadily fading beat of wings.

Then silence.

"Sarah!"

Sarah opened her eyes, her gaze greeted by the dirt of the path. As she blinked to clear her vision, she felt someone put a hand on her shoulder. After a few more short blinks, Sarah came to her senses and pushed herself onto her feet. Her legs made a sharp protest, but the pain ebbed almost immediately. She cast her gaze around quickly, dazed by the swift turn of events.

What happened?

"Sarah!"

Sarah looked at her brother. "Are you ok!?" he asked, shaking her arm as he spoke. She wanted to say she was fine, but her mind was too dazed and focused on figuring out what had happened. As she turned her head around quickly, she found that the team Aqua members and their pokemon were gone. Ignitus was looking at something ahead of him. Glaedr was looking down at something.

Sarah paused, then looked down.

A few feet away from her feet lay Saphira. Her legs were sprawled underneath her and her eyes were closed. Sarah blinked, her first reaction complete confusion. She racked her brain as fast as she could to figure out what happened. She replayed the events in her mind.

As she did, she finally pieced it all together.

The Dragonite tried to attack her, but she never felt the attack. She felt something slam into her legs instead. It felt like a big rock. She now realized that it was Saphira. She had taken the hit, and the impact sent her flying back into Sarah's legs. As she lay there, there was an attack between Glaedr and the pokemon, then the people escaped.

Sarah blinked as she stared at Saphira. Something wasn't right. Why wasn't she getting up? Sarah's mind still felt confused and dazed, thanks to the quick turn of events and the shock of realizing what had occurred so quickly. Feeling like her mind was in some kind of trance, she walked forward and knelt by Saphira. She looked at the pokemon's face, blinking once to try to clear her head. The attack must have knocked her out.

But… why wasn't she moving…? _At all_…? She couldn't even see her breathing.

Slowly, Sarah reached out a hand and put it on the dragon's shell. She felt like she was in a dream. Her mind finally processed what she may be looking at, and she felt a pang of fear erupt in her chest.

Was Saphira… dead?

Sarah just stared, her vision becoming blurry. As she blinked to clear it, she felt tears run down her cheeks. As the liquid brushed against her face, it gave her a bit of a wake up call. Why was she crying?

Because Saphira wasn't moving. She wasn't responding. She was…

"Saphira?" Sarah said, her voice cracking. The dragon remained still.

Sarah froze, her breathing halted. Was this real? Was this really happening? Maybe Sarah had just been knocked out when she hit the ground and she was dreaming. Yeah, this had to be a dream… But if it was, why could she hear her brother sniffing back tears behind her? Not matter how dazed she may have felt, why could she sense every silent eye watching the motionless dragon?

Because this _wasn't_ a dream. Saphira saved Sarah's life.

And lost hers in the process.

Still dazed, Sarah absentmindedly began stroking the dragon's back. She knew this couldn't be happening. It just wasn't. It was that simple. She wouldn't accept it.

She wouldn't.

No words were voiced at first. No one could find any to say. It was silent in the group, every eye on the Shelgon that lay in front of them.

Sarah's vision was almost completely blocked with the tears that filled her eyes. Saphira's white shell appeared to be nothing but a large smudge in her eyesight. When she blinked, new tears replaced the ones before. She lifted an arm and wiped them away with the back of her forearm. Her vision cleared a bit, but Saphira's shell remained a glowing smudge. She rubbed her eyes again. Still a glowing smudge.

Wait…

Glowing?

Sarah blinked quickly and wiped her eyes once more. She looked at the dragon to see if she was seeing things. Underneath her hand, Saphira's shell was glowing.

Sarah's eyes remained open with shock. She removed her hand from the shell as it glowed brighter. It lingered momentarily, then the shape began to grow.

Even with her vision clear, Sarah couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her breathing unknowingly stopped, and she stood up and backed away as Saphira's form continued to grow. After giving it enough room, Sarah racked her brain to try and figure out what was happening. She's glowing… growing…

She's evolving.

Every eye watched as the form grew and took shape. As a long neck protruded from the round glow, a tail snaked its way through, followed by four thick limbs and a pair of wings. After it took complete form, it paused.

Then the glow faded.

A Salamence. Lying in front of Sarah was Saphira, a Salamence. She didn't know what was more shocking. The fact that Saphira evolved…

Or the fact that her eyes fluttered open.

After a few blinks, the dragon's eyes remained opened. There was a short pause, then she lifted her large head. First, she turned her neck to inspect her own body. Then, her eyes made contact with Glaedr's. The she turned her gaze and met Ignitus's. Then William's.

Then Sarah's.

They stared at each other momentarily, neither blinking nor moving. Then, Saphira lifted herself onto her feet and supported her weight easily.

Sarah stared into the deep sapphire eyes that looked back into hers. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She would know those eyes, no matter what form they were in. It was Saphira.

And she was alive.

Saphira blinked her eyes once and stared at Sarah, a bit concerned as she noticed her tear streaked face. Her head cocked slightly to the side, and she asked, her mouth moving in soft growls to those who couldn't understand her, 'Is something wrong?'

Sarah blinked and took her first breath since Saphira woke up. She paused, her mouth hanging open wordlessly. She lifted a hand as if to point at something, but her eyes never left the dragon's. "Th… You… were dead…"

Saphira blinked in confusion, and her head cocked further. 'What do you mean?'

_Somebody pinch me…_ Sarah thought. She didn't feel like she was conversing rationally or that she was really seeing this. She needed a wake up call. "Team Aqua… tried to attack me… You saved me…"

Saphira righted her head. She paused, then said, 'I stopped the attack, but I was alright.' Sarah looked ready to question, but Saphira said, 'I may have appeared still, but my energy was reserving itself momentarily so I could evolve. It healed me.'

Sarah blinked. Although that didn't make any sense, she didn't really care. The point was, Saphira was never dead. She was ok.

But how did she know she wasn't just seeing this?

Saphira took a few steps forward, feeling guilty that her actions had upset her best friend so much. 'I am sorry that I upset you.' She stopped in front of Sarah and rubbed her cheek against her own.

That was the only wake up call Sarah needed.

Almost not in control of her actions, Sarah threw her arms around the dragon's neck and let loose a sob as a fresh flow of tears streamed down her face. Her heart beat painfully along with the knot in her stomach as utter relief washed over her. She felt Saphira rest her chin on her back, hugging her in return. She knew now that she was fully awake, not dreaming, and Saphira was ok.

And she evolved.

Sniffing back another flow of tears, Sarah momentarily released the dragon's neck and looked into her eyes, saying, "Don't _ever_ do that again." Her tone was somewhat firm, but mostly frightened, weak with relief, and happy.

Saphira smiled. ' Of course.'

Sarah smiled back, any anger that may have been there gone, and hugged the dragon again. She had only said it because she had been scared for her pokemon. She knew that, from what she understood, that Saphira couldn't help her momentary pause in waking. She needed it to evolve and recover. She just wished that she didn't have to appear dead and scare her like that.

But it didn't matter. She was ok.

Fear finally gone and relief and happiness washing over her, Sarah released the dragon and took a step back to inspect her. She was now much taller than Sarah, her head a foot above her own when her neck was straight up, her back reaching Sarah's chest. Smooth, sapphire skin covered her back, legs, tail and head, other than the jaw, which was a shade of light gray. Three strips of gray, plate-like scales protected the dragon's chest. Two red wings protruded from her back. And her eyes, although size and color changed, remained the same as they ever were.

Saphira's lips upturned into a smile. She arched her neck proudly and fanned her wings lightly, like a mature puppy showing off to its master. 'What do you think?'

Sarah laughed. With a large smile that refused to fade, she said, "You've never looked better."

Saphira's smile grew and she hummed in her throat like a very large, proud kitten. She took a step forward and licked the length of one of Sarah's cheeks, making the latter giggle with delight. She rubbed the dragon's head momentarily before the others in the group finally had enough of remaining silent.

"Saphira, you look awesome!" William exclaimed, jumping forward and hopping up and down a couple of times with delight. Sarah laughed. She was surprised he managed to hold that in for this long. Saphira smiled, nodding while saying (although he couldn't understand her), 'Thank you.' She allowed him to touch her face, then she licked his face, making him laugh. Once William had his fill, Ignitus smiled brightly and gave Saphira a thumbs up, saying, 'Now you can fly too!'

Saphira chuckled and turned her head. Her face softened as she saw Glaedr standing there. He was silent the entire time, watching her.

Sarah looked from her Salamence to her Tropius, then back again. For a moment, she wasn't sure what was going on. As soon as she remembered, a sly smile spread across her lips.

As Saphira turned to face him, Glaedr walked toward her, his face impassive. Once he reached her, he looked down at her, being about a foot taller. He blinked once as he stared into her eyes, saying nothing at first. Sarah guessed that the little scare that Saphira gave them affected him a lot. After all, they felt strongly for each other. But she wasn't sure _how _strongly.

When he finally spoke, he said, 'I am glad that you are alright.'

During his pause, Saphira gave a small nod, never taking her eyes off him. She was never the type to feel nervousness or fear unless someone she loved was in danger, but she couldn't ignore a strange knot in her stomach. Sarah watched the two, knowing that they were having a conversation with their eyes, as they often did. But no matter how well she thought she could read Saphira's feelings, she had no idea what they were saying.

After an unknown amount of time, the two dragons moved toward each other in the same motion and nuzzled the other's cheek with their own, eyes closed with bliss and smiling happily. Sarah smiled too. _They're so adorable._

William looked back and forth between the cuddling dragons and blinked. "What's going on?" he asked, dumbfounded.

Sarah glanced at her brother, then couldn't help a laugh. She didn't even remember until now that he knew nothing of the dragons' infatuation with each other. She glanced at Ignitus and found the same look on his face, his head cocked to the side slightly. He didn't know either. Well, now everybody knew.

When the two dragons finally parted, Saphira turned back to Sarah. She smiled brightly, then lay on her stomach. Her eyes twinkling with anticipation and joy, she said, 'Would you like to join me on my first trip through the skies?'

A large grin spread across Sarah's face. Without voicing her agreement, she rushed to the dragon's side and swung her leg over the base of her back, sitting between her shoulders and the base of her neck. She got a grip on the dragon's shoulders, smooth skin rubbing against her palms, and said, "Let's go!"

Lips remaining in a large smile, Saphira hopped to her feet, roaring happily and launched herself off the ground, wings flapping quickly to gain altitude. Within seconds, they were twenty feet above the others and soaring down the trail. Just after them, Glaedr leapt into the air and followed. Ignitus lowered his head and snaked his neck between William's legs, hoisting the boy onto his back and took off in flight after the others. William held tightly to Rascal with one hand and held onto the dragon with the other, whooping with excitement. Once they caught up, Glaedr flew on Saphira's left side, Ignitus, Rascal and William on the right. Each looked at each other, no one saying anything (other than another whoop from William).

Nothing could have made Sarah feel better than she did at that moment. She was flying for the first time on her newly evolved dragon; her best friend, who had finally realized her dream of flight. Any care in the world escaped her long enough to enjoy the sensation of flight and the feeling of the wind whipping across her face. Saphira evolved. She was flying. Sarah was flying with her, and William was flying with Ignitus. Glaedr was flying beside them, watching over them as he always did and enjoying the first flight he ever shared with Saphira. They were all flying together.

It was the best thing Sarah had ever felt.

- - - - -

The sped through the hall of the hideout, breath erratic from the speed and the events that had transpired. The woman glanced at the man, saying between gasps, "That… was completely insane. Do you think… we killed that pokemon?"

The man shrugged as best he could as they continued to jog. "I don't know. Does it… really matter?"

The woman thought for a moment, then said blankly, "I guess not."

Finally reaching their destination, the two slowed and came to a stop in front of a door barred by two guards and Mightyena watchdogs. They took a moment to catch their breath before standing erect, as if in a military line.

"We're here to see the Boss," the man said plainly. One of the guards turned and opened the door without a word. The two Team Aqua members walked in.

The room was darker than it should have been during a bright evening, thanks to the drawn shades on the window behind the desk. The large chair was occupied with none other than the Team Aqua leader Archie, watching the two approach his desk with an unwavering frown.

As the two stopped in front of the desk, the boss wasted no time in knowing if they did as they were told. "Did you get the Master ball?"

The two exchanged a quick look, then the man took a step forward and set the small, purple lidded ball onto the desk. As he stepped back to rejoin his comrade, Archie eyed the two momentarily, then reached forward and picked up the ball. He brought it closer to his face and examined it carefully, spinning it slowly between his fingers. He let a long, silent pause follow, then rested his hand on the table, rolling the ball carefully in circles with one finger. He set a steely gaze on the two in front of him and said, "Were there any complications? Were you seen?"

At the question, the grunts eyes widened a bit and they felt a bit trapped. The man lifted an arm, opening his mouth to speak, but waiting a moment before saying, "We got out of the building fine. We knocked out the guards and their pokemon and got out with the Master ball without suspicion."

In the pause that followed, Archie eyed the two, one after the other, trying to sense anything they may have been hiding. He waited a moment, then said, "Anything else?"

They couldn't hide it. He always knew when one of his men was trying to keep something from him. The man avoided eye contact and said, "A couple kids and pokemon saw us." He looked at Archie and quickly added, "But they didn't know we had the Master ball and we got away easily."

Archie stopped his hand from spinning the ball, ceasing all sound in the room. He eyed each one once again, then asked, "Did they know you were Team Aqua?"

The man paused. "We think they suspected us a bit, but they didn't know who we were. We used our pokemon to get away."

Archie said nothing for a few moments. When the grunts finally felt as if they couldn't stand the suspense anymore, Archie clutched the Master ball in his hand, looked at the two and said, "You have done better than I expected."

Without letting them feel happy for their accomplishment, Archie fixed his gaze on one of the walls in the room and said, "Even if no one in the building saw you, the Master ball will soon be reported missing. Even with your hidden identities, some sources may lead suspicion to us. We must act quickly if we hope to accomplish this before we are found out.

He stood, gaze fixed on his desk, and said, "Thanks to your success, we can still salvage the main prize." He looked up, smiling cynically at the two grunts.

"Put Phase Two in motion."

- - - - -

Sarah wasn't sure what to think of her first look at Lilycove City. After they all landed just outside its border and entered it, she wasn't sure which sight struck her first. The size, the beauty, the ocean…

Or the police cars parked outside one of the large buildings.

Yeah. The police cars.

It seemed like a lot of things always happened at the same time. First, Team Aqua members came running out of the forest with something apparently stolen, then Saphira gave her one of the biggest scares of her life, Saphira evolved, she flew with her for the first time, then they find police in the next city.

Wait…

Team Aqua, police cars…

Well, that couldn't be a coincidence, could it?

Although feeling that it may not be any of their business, Sarah had to know. Maybe they could find out what was stolen. She looked at Saphira, who looked back with the same inquisitiveness in her eyes. Sharing a nod of agreement, everyone approached the building.

Three cars were parked haphazardly a little ways away from the steps. A group of curious bystanders and a few cameramen were crowded around the steps, being held away from the building by a couple of police officers. A man in a suit was talking to one of the officers, appearing a bit fussed about the events as the officer scribbled on a notepad and nodded.

Sarah approached one of the people in the crowd, a middle-aged woman, and said, "Excuse me, ma'am?"

The woman turned and looked ahead of herself, expecting to see someone her own height, then looked down as she realized it was a child that addressed her. She jumped a bit and said sweetly, "Oh, yes my dear?"

Sarah glanced at the building before asking, "What happened here?"

The woman paused long enough to take a glance at each person and pokemon I Sarah's group, lip's pursed in slight question, then looked at Sarah and said, "I don't know yet, dear. Something must have been stolen." She smiled politely and turned back to the building.

Sarah frowned a bit. So nobody knew what happened? She took a glance at the building ahead to find out what it was. A large sign near the top read 'Devon Company Management.' Sarah had to pause for a moment to remember what that was. It was an extension of the Devon Company building in Rustboro, where they did their research and experimented with new products.

Wait… Devon Company?

Sarah turned her head to look at the man in the suit, who continued to converse with the officer. She squinted to get a better look at his face.

It was the Devon Company President, Mr. Stone.

"Hey, it's Mr. Stone," Sarah said to the others, pointing in his direction. She wasn't surprised that he was here. If something happened than it was only natural for the President to come and see what happened.

William squinted as well, then smiled. "Yeah, it is him!"

Sarah watched the man for a moment, then leaned in a bit toward Saphira. The dragon lowered her neck so her face was level with Sarah's. "Maybe we can ask him what's going on."

Saphira blinked, then looked toward the man. She blinked again, as if in thought, then lowered her head again and said, 'I don't think we would be able to reach him through this crowd. And he's busy.'

Sarah paused, lips pursed slightly and eyebrows furrowed in thought. "But maybe something was stolen and team Aqua did it. We could give them the tip and maybe they can find them."

Saphira cocked her head a bit as she considered it. 'Although I would not be surprised if the people we encountered are the culprits, we may be leading them in the wrong direction. Perhaps nothing was stolen and Team Aqua had nothing to do with it.'

Sarah smiled as if to laugh. "But maybe something _was _stolen, and what are the chances that we 'just happened' to run into two suspicious Team Aqua members and walk into a town with a Devon Company building surrounded by police cars?"

Saphira looked at Sarah and blinked with a smile. 'Point made.' She lifted her head. 'Let's try to talk to him.' Sarah nodded, and the group walked forward.

Instead of trying to find room for three large dragons to fit through the crowd, they managed to walk around it and find an opening. The police were busy keeping the people in front of the stairs at bay, so they slipped through to speak with Mr. Stone.

As they approached, the policeman walked away as Mr. Stone covered his face with a hand and sighed heavily. Sarah wondered for a moment if they should even bother him, but his actions (if the police cars weren't enough) that something happened, and she had a hunch they could help.

As they neared, Sarah said, "Um, Mr. Stone?"

Mr. Stone jerked his head up and removed his hand from his face. As the group stopped in front of him, he squinted at them as if he couldn't remember them. Sarah wasn't sure if he did, but she wouldn't be surprised if he didn't. He knew a lot of people being the Devon Company President. But as his eyes began to light up, she knew he recognized them.

Mr. Stone blinked, then a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He turned to face the group and said, "Sarah?"

Sarah nodded. "Hi, Mr. Stone."

Mr. Stone's smile broadened and he said brightly, "Well! What a surprise!" He offered a handshake, which Sarah accepted. "It's good to see you again!"

Sarah smiled back. "You too."

After releasing the handshake, he looked at the group. "Hello again William!" he said brightly. William waved a hello, then the man looked at the pokemon. His eyes widened a bit with surprise. "My goodness! They look so much different!"

Sarah shrugged. "Well, evolution does that." Mr. Stone grinned.

Sarah started to wonder if she should bother him with questions. He seemed to be taking everything well and she didn't want to ruin it. But she wouldn't be very happy to find that she had kept information that might have helped.

She paused, then said, "Um, Mr. Stone, what happened here?"

Mr. Stone's smile faded and he exhaled as if exhausted. He began to scratch his brow as he said, "Well, I was on my way here for a routine check on the productions here, and when I arrived the police were here." He lowered hand and said, "Something has been stolen."

_I knew it._ "What was stolen?"

He sighed again. "Well, it's not secret since the press will eventually know." He looked at Sarah and asked, "Do you remember the prototype Master ball that my assistant was testing?"

Sarah nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, after the meeting we all had, we were able to successfully test the ball. And it worked. So I sent the ok to the Management building to begin making another for more tests." His face fell into a saddened frown. "But after it was completed and being guarded in the production room, someone broke in and stole it." He put a hand on his head and shook his head. "We have high security in that area, but someone managed to knock out our guards and pokemon guards." He looked at the group and said, "We sometimes hold tours to locals, tourists and students to give them a hint of some of the new things to come from the company and to encourage possible future employees. But they're only held on the first floor. " He shook his head slightly in disappointment. "We had an open tour today, and somehow someone got to the second floor and stole the ball."

Sarah paused, thinking about it all. Someone must have worked hard to get past the security. And who other than Team Aqua would have enough resources to accomplish that?

"How are you gonna find out who did it?"

"The police are checking the building and watching the security cameras."

Well, hopefully that would let them know who did it. "Well, tell them to watch the tapes for a man and woman."

Mr. Stone looked at Sarah and blinked. "Huh?"

Sarah exchanged a glance with Saphira, then looked at him and said, "We ran into a couple of team Aqua members on our way here. We don't know if they had anything to do with any of this, but we knew they were up to something."

At this, Mr. Stone's eyes lit up sufficiently and he smiled broadly. "Oh my! We may have an eye witness!" He put a hand on Sarah's shoulder, looking at all in the group, and asked quickly, "Will all of you file a report with the police?"

Sarah paused, then looked at Saphira. The dragon nodded, so she turned to him and said, "Ok."

After Sarah and the others told the police what they saw, they were brought inside the building and asked to watch one of the security tapes. They were told that the top floor security cameras had been turned off so there was no evidence to the identity of the people who snuck up there. So, Sarah and the group watched the video of the front counter as people walked in. Eventually, they were able to point out the two grunts they saw on the trail. As the tape was watched, they were seen sneaking to the second floor stairs. Although that would have shown the police who they were, they wouldn't have known their possible escape route, or that they were Team Aqua if Sarah and the others hadn't helped. A little later, the police informed them that the company staff reported one of their newest employees missing. They say he wasn't seen much at work that day, and he had only been employed for about a week. He was in the electrical and security department. After piecing it together, the police figured that the man was part of Team Aqua and worked at the Devon Company to shut off the top floor cameras when his comrades went to steal the ball. He ran off after they stole it.

What appeared to be a simple giving of information turned out to be an hour of watching a tape and learning more of the situation. But it didn't bother the group. They (especially Sarah) were just glad that the press left before they ended up being on TV again. Because it was getting late, Mr. Stone invited them to stay and have dinner with him. They accepted and managed to speak of a few brighter things, like catching up with the events that happened since their last meeting. After a while, the group left because they were ready to call it a day. They thanked Mr. Stone for the dinner and went to check out the Pokemon Center.

Everyone huddled around a table, feeling exhausted. When that many things happened in one day, it was natural to feel drained. They talked about the day's events, and William and Ignitus busied themselves with a guessing game. Rascal watched them with a wagging tail. Glaedr lay curled up by the table, resting his eyes, but occasionally peeking at the group.

Saphira lay by Sarah's chair. They watched each other for a few moments, almost as if they were talking with their eyes, as Saphira and Glaedr did. There were thoughts, words and feelings transferred between the two, as they had always been able to do, but it seemed as if the two dragons were the only ones that could manage 'eye conversations.'

After a few moments, Sarah simply reached out and rubbed Saphira's head fondly. The dragon hummed quietly, eyes closed in comfort. Even with the other events that happened that day, the one that stood out the most was Saphira's evolution. Her best friend's dream acquired was more significant than anything that happened. Sarah felt happy for her dragon, knowing that she finally had what she desired, and that they would always be together.

That night, they all decided to camp a little ways down the trail by the city. Far enough that they weren't in the city, but close enough hat the city could still be seen. Sarah wasn't sure at first if they should camp outside because of the things that happened, but everything had turned out ok last time. And with three bid dragons, they were protected.

After everyone settled down by the fire, Ignitus decided to cuddle close to William so they could talk as they tried to fall asleep. Rascal cuddled under William's blanket and went to sleep. Glaedr lay closest to Sarah, but gave room to Saphira, who lay right next to Sarah. Sarah huddled up to the dragon's belly, blanket over her for extra warmth, but hardly needed thanks to the fire and the warmth of Saphira's body. Saphira snaked her neck around Sarah so that her head lay right next to her trainer's.

This, in Sarah's opinion, was the most comfortable sleeping position that she and Saphira ever shared.

And before they knew it, they fell asleep.

- - - - -

Sarah opened her eyes; her head was cloudy, and her vision blurry. Something didn't feel right; all she could see in front of her was blue.

She blinked her eyes to clear her vision. Now that she could see, she saw that she was surrounded by blue. A calm mist wafted around her, although she couldn't feel it. She felt weightless, as if she was floating in it. A strange sense of Déjà vu came over her. This was familiar…

But something wasn't right.

She looked around warily. She couldn't think, and her eyes drooped. She tried to see where she was, but she didn't know. She tried to figure out what the blue was, but couldn't; it was just there.

Her body turned around, seemingly of its own accord. Again, nothing but a misty blue. She frowned, puzzled, although her head still wasn't clear.

Her body automatically turned back around. She still couldn't think straight, so she shook her head to clear it, but to no avail.

Suddenly, the mist around her started to move faster. It swept over her body, then spun away, and turned in a circle. She began to panic as she felt short of breath. She began to shake, and looked back and forth, trying to figure out what was going on.

She heard a loud noise coming from in front of her. She turned her head forward abruptly, and her drooping eyes became wide. Something came at her from a distance. It closed in on her, and it quickly formed into a giant serpent like creature.

The two figures stared at one another. Though Sarah's heart beat quickly, she tried to make out the creature's face. But the solid color left the features impossible to make out.

Just then, Sarah felt something smooth in her hand. She looked down and saw an orb in her hand. She lifted it and examined it. It was made of glass, about the size of a pokeball. It was the same shade of blue as the creature in front of her.

She blinked. What was this thing?

Suddenly, Sarah gasped as a sharp wave of pain jolted inside her head. She involuntarily closed her eyes and clutched her head with her free hand. Just as quickly as the pain came, it ceased.

As a loud noise erupted in front of her, Sarah's head jerked back up, and she was in time to see the creature, mouth open, charging her.

- - - - -

Her eyes snapped open, and she sat up abruptly. A cold drop of sweat dripped down her chin as she glanced around the campsite, panting as if out of breath. Everyone was asleep.

She almost jumped as she felt a nudge on her shoulder. She looked up to see Saphira watching her, eyes drawn in worry.

'What happened?'

Sarah paused, catching her breath. Once she did, she felt her heart begin to race as she began to replay the dream in her head. "I… I had that dream again."

Saphira's brows furrowed with confusion and worry. She tried to think of what to say, but knew nothing. Instead, she simply nudged Sarah's face with her nose and said, 'Go back to sleep. We will speak of it in the morning.'

Sarah wanted to protest, but didn't. No matter how the dream frightened her, she was tired. He lay back down and huddled closely to Saphira, who lay her had close to her trainer and hummed reassuringly.

As Sarah closed her eyes, she sighed. _What's going on?_

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Plot's being revealed… do you like it?

Did I scare anybody with Saphira? Ok, maybe it was stupid, but I thought it would be good for the story. But hey, all the dragons are evolved now! Yay!!!

So I hope everyone is interested in the plot that's beginning to show. I hope everyone will like it and review to let me know. Thanks for reading!


	23. It's Worth A Try, Isn't It?

Hello. :)

This chapter is a lot shorter than usual. I hate it when I do that . . But hopefully it doesn't bother you. The plot is deepening and I hope it's making everybody wonder what's gonna happen!

And as a little side note, I was re-reading some of my last chapter and realized that I made a big mistake when I was talking about the next badge. I've only played Hoenn twice, so I don't always remember which town has which badge. I accidentally said that Lilycove has the seventh badge, but it was really Mossdeep '--. Sorry about that! It's fixed!

Anyway, thanks as usual for tuning in, and enjoy!

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She didn't want to talk about it. It was that simple. _It never happened._ That's what she kept telling herself. The dream meant nothing. Rather, she never had it. It was too much to handle. She refused to believe that it had as much affect on her life as it seemed. What had just started as a dream that left curiosity and slight worry became anxiety and denial. She would just ignore it.

Yeah right.

"It happened _again?_"

"Yeah." Sarah said it simply, not even bothering to look her brother in the eye. Instead, she busied herself by plucking short stalks of grass out of the ground one by one. Even with her attention on the grass, she could feel every eye on her. After they woke up, she waited long enough for everyone to get to the Pokemon Center and eat (although she felt too sick to eat anything). Afterwards, despite her denial, she knew a conversation concerning the dream couldn't be avoided, so she asked everyone to head back to the campsite first. She didn't want to talk about it at the Center. There wasn't enough privacy.

William sat opposite her, his brows creased in question. "Why?"

Sarah shrugged a shoulder. "I don't know."

William shared a glance with Ignitus, who sat next who him, just as perplexed as he was. He looked at his sister and said, "Well, a lot of people have a dream more than once," William rationalized, nodding to Ignitus for support, who nodded vigorously back. Rascal barked quietly, wanting to be included in his friend's conversation. "So, it can't be a big deal, right?"

Sarah flicked a blade of grass away, then made eye contact with her brother. "Do people usually see flash like visions of their dreams in museums?" It was said with sarcasm, but it wasn't meant to be rude.

William lifted a finger and opened his mouth to say something, then stopped. He lowered his hand, a bit disappointed, and said, "Nope. I guess not."

'Was it any different than the first dream?' Saphira asked, shuffling her wings to get more comfortable as she lay behind Sarah.

Sarah continued her grass pulling as she nodded. "Yeah." She briefly summarized the dream, mentioning which parts were the same as the first one and which were different.

'An orb?' Ignitus said with a cock of his head. William rubbed the top of Rascal's head as the Zigzagoon started smothering his face with kisses, getting tired of the immobility of the conversation.

Sarah finally got tired of uprooting grass and leaned her back against Saphira's side with a sigh. She laid her hands in her lap and fixed her gaze on a tree a little ways away. For some reason, she didn't feel like making eye contact with anybody. Probably because she knew what their faces would look like. Ignitus and William might show it the least, but Saphira and Glaedr would show hidden concern. She wasn't in the mood to see that. "Yeah. It just kinda appeared for no reason."

Yet another silence followed. Obviously, no one had any idea what any of this could possibly mean.

Ignitus scratched the side of his head with a claw, humming thoughtfully. He looked at his trainer with hopeful and sweet, comforting eyes. 'Maybe you're just sick?'

Sarah smiled in spite of herself at the suggestion. But despite the possibility, the chances were way too low to make that what it could be. She looked at the Charizard. If she wanted to figure this out, she couldn't be rude and pretend to ignore everybody. "I don't think that's it, Ignitus," she said, but not rudely. It was more of a 'that's not it, but I appreciate your willingness to help.' Ignitus simply shrugged and gave her one of his original smiles.

Glaedr smiled at the two, then spoke up. 'Well, let's examine the elements in this dream.' Everyone (including Sarah, who decided that ignoring their gazes was just being rude) looked at him. William wanted to pay attention to the conversation without Rascal distracting him so much with kisses (not that he didn't enjoy it; he just knew that the conversation was important), so he grabbed a small stick and threw it into some nearby bushes. The Zigzagoon barked happily and ran after it.

'First,' he started, 'Everything in the dream is blue.' He looked around the group. 'Does that mean anything to anyone?' Because William was the only one in the group who didn't understand him and Sarah probably wasn't up for repeating him, Ignitus took over as the translator.

After a pause, no one answered. That meant no.

Glaedr nodded. 'Alright.' One corner of his mouth upturned in thought. Once he considered it, he looked at everyone and said, 'What about the creature?'

"It's probably a pokemon," William said after Ignitus told him what Glaedr said. He stopped as Rascal came bounding back with the stick in his mouth, tail wagging proudly as he dropped it in William's lap. William threw it again, a little farther this time, then looked at his sister. "What did it look like again?"

Sarah shrugged a hand. "It just looked like a giant snake."

William paused as he considered it. He lifted a finger and said, "Maybe it was a Seviper?"

'Ekans or Arbok perhaps?' Glaedr added.

Sarah looked at the ground in front of her, letting the image in her dream play back. After a moment, she shook her head. "No. This thing could fly." Then again, did that really matter? In a dream, anything was possible, including a flying Seviper. But this dream wasn't like a normal dream. At least not what would be considered normal.

"Things are made up in dreams all the time," William added, seeming to find excitement out of the conversation. He probably found it to be like a guessing game. "Maybe you just kinda dreamed it up."

"But there was a picture of it in that museum," Sarah said, "And I had some kind of weird flashing vision of it, remember?"

William looked at the ground sheepishly. "Oh yeah." He grinned. "Sorry." Ignitus covered his mouth and coughed back a laugh. Sarah grinned while rolling her eyes. Everything was a game to them. He was finding humor to distract him even though he had made sure Rascal was occupied with something. Despite their current conversation, she found it cute.

Saphira nosed Sarah's shoulder. As Sarah looked at her, she said, 'The man at the museum said a woman donated the painting twenties years ago. Her Great Grandfather painted it.' When no one followed, she said, 'Maybe we should go back and talk to the man about the woman.'

Sarah looked at her dragon for a moment as she thought about it. So, Saphira was suggesting that they find out where the woman lived and talk to her. It did seem a little desperate to find out where some strange woman lived and just ask her about a painting that she might not even remember. She then looked to Glaedr for his reaction, but he simply sat there, waiting for her to say what she thought. She thought back to the museum and what the man said. He said the woman moved away from the town, but he didn't say where. Would he know? Would a trip all the way back to ask be worth it? She wasn't worried about the amount of time it would take; she had three flying dragons. But would it be worth the trip at all if the man knew nothing?

As she thought about it, Sarah watched as Rascal bounced out of the bushes again with the stick in his mouth and dropped it into William's lap, barking for him to throw it again. William giggled and threw the stick far beyond the bushes out of sight. Rascal watched it fly through the air, but hesitated in chasing it. He stared at the bush, seeming to know that it was farther away than it was before and didn't know if it was worth searching for it. But after a moment, he barked and bounded after it as if he hadn't doubted in the first place.

Strangely, the sight meant something to Sarah. Rascal wasn't sure if it was worth chasing the stick because it wasn't very likely he would find it. Sarah wasn't sure if she wanted to go back to Fortree to talk to the man because the chances that he knew where the woman had moved so long ago were slim. But she guessed that Rascal chased the stick for the same reason she wanted to try and go back; it would be better to find out no matter the outcome than to wonder what she would have found _if_ she went.

So even if the man knew nothing, the point would be that she tried.

Just then, Rascal leaped out of the bushes, the exact same stick in his mouth and dropped into William's lap, barking for another round.

And you never know what you might find.

"Ok," Sarah said, watching as William threw the stick one more time. She looked at Saphira and said, "It won't hurt to at least go back and ask." Although she wondered if it would be a good idea to bother some lady they didn't know if the man knew where she lived, it was still better to try. It wouldn't take them long if they flew anyway.

'When do we leave?' Saphira asked.

If they wanted to get it over with and get back to their journey, they'd have to do it as soon as they could. It took them about a day to get here from there by walking, so flying would probably only take a couple of hours.

"Now."

No one argued. Actually, William and Ignitus jumped to their feet and William hopped onto the Charizard's back after picking up his backpack and Rascal, who forgot about the stick after seeing that they were finally leaving. Glaedr got ready and Sarah grabbed her backpack and mounted Saphira. They hadn't flown on a dragon for such a long amount of time, but it wouldn't be hard to get used to. Especially since they enjoyed it so much.

Once they were ready, they began the flight back to Fortree. Despite their reason for leaving, they enjoyed the flight as much as they normally did. Sarah realized that they needed to start doing it more often. There was a strange sense of peace when she was in the sky. Maybe because she enjoyed flying. Maybe it was because she was riding Saphira. Maybe both. She at least knew that they needed to start flying more often.

- - - - -

About two hours later, they landed in front of the museum in Fortree. The dragons were a bit tired form the lengthy flight and the kids were a bit restless from riding for so long. But it was enjoyable and it didn't bother them. And they had to focus on their reason for coming back.

Feeling her stomach become nauseous, Sarah walked through the doors first, everyone else right behind her. This time there were a few people looking around the museum, but it still felt empty because of its size. They looked around for the museum employee they talked too.

Just ahead they saw him standing in one of the rows, examining some of the paintings. Sarah didn't hesitate her pace, although her stomach told her to. She just wanted to get it over with and hope whatever he had to say wouldn't have as big of an effect as she expected.

After stopping beside him, he looked at them as Sarah said, "Hi."

The man took a moment to look at each face, then turned to face them, smiling brightly. "Well, hello again."

"You remember us?" Sarah asked.

"Of course. You weren't here that long ago." He looked at each member of the group one more time with a smile and said, "And it's hard to forget a party consisting of three unconfined dragons."

Sarah grinned in spite of herself. She was so used to it she didn't even consider how odd it must look to be followed by three large dragons.

Getting back to their reason for being there, Sarah tried to ignore her nervous stomach and said, "Well, if you remember us then maybe you remember when we were looking at that painting that was donated by a woman twenty years ago?"

The man thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes I remember."

Feeling like it would be a very odd question, Sarah asked, "Well, you said she moved, but do you know where?"

When the man paused, Sarah didn't know if he was trying to remember or if he found it weird for her to ask the question. But instead of showing he found anything odd about it, he said, "Well, I wasn't employed here when that painting was donated. I wouldn't know where she is now."

Slight disappointment fell into Sarah's chest. But something didn't seem right about that answer. "Then how did you know she even moved away?"

"My job is to know where each painting came from," the man explained. "The owner of this museum told me where each painting came from. And he was the one who accepted the painting from her."

"He still owns the museum?"

"Yes."

_I hope this is worth it,_ Sarah thought. "Is he here?"

The man nodded, turning and pointing toward a back counter a little ways away. Behind it was a man appearing to be about fifty years old, focused on writing something on a paper. "He's right over there. You can speak to him if you like."

Sarah swallowed nervously. Darn nerves. "Thanks." She glanced at the others before heading over to the counter.

Sarah wanted to ignore all of her nervous feelings and get it over with, so she tried to say it without worrying about the man's reaction. She would accept whatever he had to say about it, whether he knew where she lived or not. She wasn't even sure if she would want to talk to the woman, despite the strangeness of the dream. But she would at least do what she went there for.

"Excuse me sir," Sarah said as everyone stopped in front of the counter. The man looked up, first looking at Sarah then glancing at everyone else with a bit of a surprised expression (she was used to it by now). He looked back at Sarah and gave her a warm smile as he set his pen down. "Hello," he said kindly. "Can I help you with something?"

The man's friendly nature made it easier for Sarah to talk to him. She tried to think of a way to ask about the woman without sounding to strange. But she didn't really want to rack her brain for some dumb excuse. After all, if the woman gave _him_ the painting, maybe she told him about it and he could just tell her.

"There's a painting in the antique section that was donated by a woman twenty years ago," she started. "What do you know about it?"

"Ahh," the man said, folding his hands together on the counter, his face displayed with interest. He focused his gaze on a wall as if playing a memory in his mind. "I remember when that painting was donated. Very beautiful painting it is." He looked at Sarah. "I was surprised that she would want to give away such a beautiful piece of art."

"Do you know what's in the picture?"

The man put on a thoughtful look, then said, "No. All she told me was that her Great Grandfather painted it and it was better off here." He fixed his gaze on a wall again and squinted his eyes, trying to think back. "She said it _needed_ to be here. That it would be of great use to someone someday."

Sarah's eyes widened a bit and her stomach did a flip-flop. There was no way that was a coincidence. Not after what Sarah saw when she looked at it. Could it?

"She moved didn't she?" Sarah asked, finding her voice shake with slight fear. She couldn't believe that so many things could be connected so strangely. "Where did she move?" She didn't mean for her voice to sound desperate, and she didn't know if it was from fear or a desire to find something that would break the odd connection that was forming.

"I'm not sure. I just heard that she moved because she wanted to live somewhere else." He looked at her curiously. "Why?"

Sarah avoided his gaze. "Just curious."

The man frowned a bit, but shrugged it off.

Sarah wasn't sure if that was good news or bad news. Bad news because they had no idea where this person, who could have the answers to all of this was. Or good news because it would give Sarah an excuse not to pursue these things anymore. She wanted to forget it. But could she?

"Ok," Sarah said. "Thanks."

The man nodded with a smile. "Have a wonderful day."

Without another word, Sarah turned and walked away, avoiding her brother and pokemons' gazes. She felt sick to her stomach. Having something unexplainable happen and having no answer wasn't comforting at all. She had half a mind to pretend none of it ever happened. It was overwhelming. But it would be stupid to ignore something like this. It had to mean something.

But not knowing that something was driving her insane.

Just before walking out the door, Sarah stopped long enough to turn her head toward the shelf that held the painting (it wasn't hard to remember which one). Although it was pretty far away, she could see the mixture of blues and figures. She just stared, daring and prohibiting it to flash an image in her mind.

But after a few seconds, nothing happened.

With everyone following, she walked out the door.

- - - - -

'You could at least answer me.'

Sarah sighed, not getting the same enjoyment out of flight as she normally did. She was getting much enjoyment at all. Too many things were connecting to this dream and the painting, and she was hiding her fears behind a bad mood. After they left the museum, she practically ignored everyone. All she did was hop onto Saphira's back without waiting for the dragon to lie down, then said to everyone dully, "Let's go." A few minutes into the flight, Saphira asked her if she felt ok. She hadn't answered her.

"Do you think I feel ok?" Sarah said dryly. Her own tone was deepening her down mood. This wasn't her. Why was she being so rude?

'No,' Saphira answered. 'But you shouldn't ignore those who want to help you.'

Sarah put a hand on her face as she closed her eyes and sighed again. "I know." Treating her friends like that wasn't going to help. She removed her hand from her face and opened her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Saphira nodded, her gaze forward. 'I understand.'

Sarah watched a few things pass by as they flew, trying to make herself calm down. She knew a Saphira pep talk was coming up and she didn't want to refuse to listen.

Saphira waited the amount of time appropriate for Sarah to calm down. Once she could sense a calmer feel from her trainer, she started, 'Now, are you upset because the man did not know where the woman is or because you don't know what to do about this?'

Sarah paused. She shrugged both hands, letting a frustrated 'pfft' escape her lips. "Both."

The frustration wasn't meant for Saphira, and the dragon knew it, so she continued. 'If we knew of the woman's whereabouts, would you have spoken to her?'

Sarah paused again. After a moment she said, "I don't know. I guess it would have depended on where she was and if I thought it was worth talking to her."

'But you want answers.'

Sarah threw her hands up with frustration. "Of course I want answers!"

Saphira turned her head and lifted an eyebrow at her trainer. Sarah sighed with guilt at her tone. "Sorry."

Saphira gave a small nod and looked ahead.

Sarah fixed her gaze on the passing items again as she thought about it. Would she have talked to the woman if they knew where she was? Didn't she want answers bad enough for that? She couldn't stay in denial about all of this. There was no way it was all a coincidence. Either something was happening, or she was losing her sanity. And it seemed as if the one with the answers would be the woman. But what were the chances of finding her? Was it really necessary to talk to her, or would everything reveal itself eventually? Would Sarah be able to handle whatever was happening? What _was_ happening?

'We gain nothing from worry, and belief an trust are the answers.'

Sarah looked at her dragon, who continued to look ahead.

"Huh?"

Saphira chuckled, then turned her head to look at her trainer with a smile. 'It means that, no matter what is happening, worry won't help, and if you believe and trust that the answers will reveal themselves, they will.'

Sarah watched her dragon as she thought about it. Just not worry about it? How could she not worry about it? How did she know something wasn't going to happen?

But how could she not trust Saphira? She'd never lead her astray before.

It wouldn't be easy; not in the slightest. But she knew that Saphira meant that she had to just continue with her life until the answers were revealed, no matter how long they took. It didn't sound fun.

But it sounded a lot more fun than worrying about it and losing all the joy she felt in everything she did.

A genuine smile spread across Sarah's face, and she rubbed Saphira's shoulder in thanks. The dragon simply hummed at the contact, knowing without words that she had succeeded in making Sarah feel better.

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Not long enough in my opinion, but that felt like a good place to stop. Please let me know what you thought about it with a review! Thanks!


	24. Fun, Games, and A Battle

**VERY IMPORTANT NOTE! PLEASE READ!**

If no one has seen the note in this story's summary, I have made a poll concerning a revamp of this story. Votes are very important, and I will appreciate everyone's opinion on the question.

Also, I believe I owe everyone another apology for letting this story's updates continue so slowly. I keep trying to write more, but I'm getting so pumped for the end that it's hard to write where I am now. I'm sorry! Thanks for continuing this story anyway!

I have another slight surprise in an author's note at the end, so please read it. Enjoy the chapter!

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We gain nothing from worry, and belief and trust are the answers.

That was the phrase that kept Sarah's mood up. She still wanted answers but knew worrying as she waited for them to reveal themselves would do nothing but ruin all fun and desire to continue her journey. She even apologized to everyone for her behavior after they arrived at the Pokemon Center in Lilycove. Of course, none of them blamed her for acting the way she did. She had every right to be confused and scared. They were a little bit too. Just not as much as her. But they agreed to keep it in the backs of their minds, not forgetting it but keeping it out of their daily routine to prevent any unneeded worry. They had more important things to concern themselves with. More exciting things. Like, the trip to Mossdeep.

"Did you guys like that two hour flight the other day?" Sarah asked with a smile as they walked to the other side of Lilycove toward the ocean. After spending the night in Lilycove (which Sarah was glad was dream free), they all agreed they were ready to leave. Sarah was currently checking the route to the city on her Pokenav.

"I know _I _did!" William chimed, Ignitus nodding in agreement.

"Good," Sarah said, shutting the Pokenav off and putting it away. They all stopped along a long beach, the ocean spread vastly before them. "Cause we're gonna have to do it again."

William blinked, excited but confused. "Why?"

"This whole route is made of water," Sarah explained as she turned to look at them. It was easy for her to speak with genuine excitement. "Normally, all transportation is used by boats and ships." She folded her arms, putting on a playful thinking look. "Now, I know you would've enjoyed that, but I thought-" She lifted her hands in question. "-Why bother with a boat?"

William and Ignitus exchanged a look. Once they caught what she was saying, they both smiled widely. Looking back at Sarah, William said, "Sounds good to me!"

Sarah nodded. "Good." Saphira laid on her stomach so Sarah could easily mount her, already knowing her trainer was ready to go. "Then unless anybody has any objections, we're leaving." Sarah pulled herself onto Saphira's back, and the Salamence stood up. She began absentmindedly rubbing the dragon's shoulder as she waited for everyone else to get ready.

Ignitus smiled and carefully, but quickly because of his excitement, grabbed William's arms and hoisted him onto his shoulders like a big brother giving his little brother a piggyback ride. William held tight to a barking Rascal with one arm while waving the other, saying, "Whoo-hooo!" Glaedr simply shook his head with a smile at the boy's antics, then fanned all four of his large, leaf wings to ready himself for flight.

Once Saphira and Ignitus fanned their wings in unison, all three dragons took off from the ground, the speed of their wing flaps spraying the sand around them in great gusts. Within seconds, the group of six was off in flight.

A few simple flaps and turns were done at first to get the group steadily flying over the crystal water. Once an average height of fifty feet above water was achieved, a little more acrobatic tricks and goof offs became possible. If they were going to be in the air for so long, why not enjoy it? 

As if Saphira was reading Sarah's mind, the dragon swerved to the side, jostling Sarah in her seat. She automatically clenched her knees against the dragon's shoulders and tightened her grip on the smooth skin to keep herself from falling off. Once Saphira leveled her flight, she turned her head and smirked playfully at Sarah. The girl caught the hint and smirked back. They didn't start unspoken consent games often, but when they did, it became very competitive. If Saphira wanted to play her little game, Sarah was all for it.

Starting the little game of 'Can I make my trainer fall off,' the Salamence started off easy, swerving lazily right and left. Sarah chuckled to herself. Was that the best she could do?

Saphira snorted smoke out of her nose with excitement. She shook her head with a growl, wobbling Sarah around once again, then locked her wings suddenly and started diving towards the water. The suddenness almost threw Sarah backwards, but she managed to hold tightly to the dragon's shoulders and keep herself steady. Once Saphira was a few feet above water, she opened her wings and leveled herself just above the surface, then started a steep ascent back to their fifty-foot position. Sarah had to lay her body against the dragon's back and keep a firm grip on her skin to prevent sliding off. It was a close call, but she was still holding on strong once Saphira re-joined the others, who watched excitedly at the newly unfolding game.

Sarah lifted her head to peek around, then sat up and folded her arms, looking at Saphira with a look of disappointment. When the dragon looked back at her trainer, Sarah lifted her hands and shook her fingers mockingly, as if to say, 'Look, no hands! I dare you to try again!'

Saphira responded to the challenge with a smirk that was too evil to ever be on Saphira's face. Sarah's smirk disappeared, and she gulped.

Growling with laughter, Saphira turned her head, then locked her wings into a steep descent towards the water. Sarah had to throw herself onto the dragon's back and hug her long neck to keep herself mounted. As if the shock of that wasn't enough, Saphira threw her weight to the side and began spiraling round and round, making Sarah close her eyes as dizziness began to take over her senses. Once she thought that Saphira would level her flight and bring them back up, she was shocked with another sense that she hadn't expected.

Instead of leveling her flight, Saphira stopped spinning and dove straight into the water, immersing herself and her trainer completely. Although the water was average temperature, the suddenness of water made Sarah open her eyes. Se almost closed them again as the salty water bit at them, but managed to get used to the sensation and the thought of being wet. She lifted her head and loosened her grip on her mount's neck, then sat back up and took a look at her surroundings. The water was clear, the sunlight shining against the surface just above them. Saphira was smoothly kicking all four limbs and using her wings as extra paddles, giving them the feeling of flying underwater. It was beautiful.

After a few seconds however, it had to end. Both needed a breath of air, so Saphira swam a bit lower, then began paddling as fast as she could toward the surface as Sarah leaned into the dragon's back and held on tight. Once they reached the surface, Saphira burst through it, then frantically began flapping her wings to gain altitude, roaring from the temporary effort. It was only seconds before she managed to clear the water and begin to level her flight ten feet above water. Everyone else was now a few feet above and behind them, laughing at their antics, William whistling for the cool show.

Sarah shook her head, spraying water droplets everywhere, smiling to herself as she heard the group enjoying the game. Saphira fanned her wings quickly and shook her body, jostling Sarah as she dried her smooth skin. Sarah took in a few grateful breaths, then threw her hands up.

"Whooo! That was great!"

Saphira grunted with a smile. 'And I suppose you won.'

Sarah returned her hands to the dragon's back, then remembered their little game. Saphira didn't make her fall off. She smiled smugly. "Yeah. I guess I did."

Saphira turned her head to look at Sarah and prepared to speak, then looked past her trainer at a spot in the sky and said, 'What's that?'

Sarah automatically turned her head. "What?"

Saphira grinned widely, then bucked suddenly, catching Sarah completely off guard. The girl yelped in surprise and had no time to get a hold of Saphira's neck. She slid off the dragon's back, then fell the short ten feet into the water with a splash.

Once she came sputtering to the surface, the laughs of the whole group echoed through the air. Sarah wiped water out of her eyes and looked up at Saphira. The dragon was just in front of her, keeping her flight level and steady so she could hover just in front of her trainer, a smirk to end all smirks etched across her face.

"Heh…" Sarah said sheepishly, glancing at the others, who continued to howl with laughter at falling for the oldest trick in the book. She looked back at Saphira and said, "I guess I'm not having a very 'bright' day."

Saphira's grin widened. 'Perhaps not.'

Sarah rolled her eyes playfully. "Then I guess it's a tie."

Saphira nodded. Without another word, she then gently immersed herself below the water's surface, then snaked her body underneath Sarah and smoothly brought them both back into the air. They continued forward with the others following.

"So, can we call a truce?" Sarah asked. "I don't think it's very fair to play that game when I can't fly."

Saphira chuckled. 'Of course.' Sarah smiled and patted the dragon's shoulder in which Saphira responded with a friendly hum.

As most of their games tended to do, it became one that everyone wanted to try. At William's request, Ignitus set him on Glaedr's back and dove underwater. William didn't want to see if Glaedr could make him fall off. He just enjoyed jumping off and diving below with Glaedr. Ignitus simply watched and cheered them on, keeping an eye on Rascal, who still rode on his back. Sarah and Saphira easily refrained from another round.

Once the expected amount of time passed, Mossdeep came into view. Although the sibling's water games soaked them through, they had eventually become dry thanks to the wind during the rest of the flight.

As they landed in front of the Pokemon Center, they all took in the sights of the city. It was basically a large island, not many inhabitants around. The Gym was visible quite a ways behind the Pokemon Center and there were a few houses spread out here and there. But being surrounded by the ocean seemed like a beautiful way to live. They knew they'd enjoy themselves here.

Once they enjoyed a nice meal and rested afterwards, they walked over to an area close to a large hill just outside the town's limits to review their battle techniques. They didn't feel they needed a training session. At least not that day. They would just warm up their moves.

"Ok Saphira," Sarah said after reviewing Ignitus and Glaedr's moves. "Let's see yours."

Saphira took a step forward and positioned herself in front of the boulder they were using as a target. She turned her head toward her trainer and said, 'I think you will be pleased with this review.'

Sarah looked at the dragon questioningly, but remained silent as Saphira turned her attention to the rock. 

There was a moment of silence, then Saphira thrust her head and breathed a great flame onto the rock, engulfing the surface and heating it to a burning crimson. Sarah jumped back with surprise. Saphira finally knew how to use a more powerful fire move! Flamethrower to be exact.

Once the flame ceased, Sarah said, "Nice job Saphira!"

Saphira smiled widely, her focus still on the rock, then flicked her tail and lifted a paw. 'The review is not over.'

The claws in her lifted foot suddenly unsheathed and doubled in length, then began to shimmer, much like Ignitus's Metal Claw. But as the dragon jumped forward and slashed at the rock, Sarah knew it wasn't the same move. The sheen was a different color, and Metal Claw didn't require extended claws. _This_ was Dragon Claw.

Saphira retracted the claws, then stepped back from the boulder. She turned her head and looked at Sarah with her lips curved in a cross between a smile and a smirk. 'What do you think?' she asked.

Sarah folded her arms and returned the look. Saphira hadn't shown her any of those moves during their other training sessions. So, did she learn them recently or was she just hiding them to pick on her trainer? But by the look on the dragon's face, it had to be the latter. "I think you've been hiding those moves since you evolved," she challenged good-naturedly.

Saphira flicked her tail and turned her head away, smiling the whole time. 'I don't know what you mean.'

Sarah just rolled her eyes and chuckled. Saphira tended to have a weird sense of humor in her opinion. Then again, so did everyone else in the group, including Sarah. That was probably where she got it.

"What's so funny?"

Sarah was caught off guard by a voice coming from somewhere behind her. She unfolded her arms and turned around quickly. Once her eyes caught sight of the owner of the voice, she felt her mood plummet.

Arms folded and face drawn in disgust, Amanda stood a few yards away. Everyone in Sarah's group was now facing her, silent as they waited for something to happen. Sarah knew she was here for a battle.

But what caught Sarah's eye right after she saw Amanda was the Dragonite that stood by her side. Kain. He evolved again.

But so had Saphira.

Sarah walked past her brother and other dragons to stand in front of them and face Amanda a few short yards away. Saphira came to stand next to her trainer, watching the girl and dragon on the other side, calm but ready for action if it was needed.

Sarah folded her arms as she felt annoyed at the girl's usual tone, but she kept a calm head about it. She knew the usual way she felt when she ran into her; automatic annoyance and instant bad mood thanks to the insults that were sure to come. But she knew that wasn't the way to handle a run-in with Amanda. Instead of retaliating, she carefully tried to decide her course of action and words. Returning the rudeness wasn't the answer. She knew that. Letting Amanda get to her had never gotten her anywhere except a bad mood that she didn't need. There was no point in letting anyone put you down or steal your joy like she had let Amanda do so many times. Instead, she tried to remain calm and nice, as that was probably what Amanda really needed. Even if she acted like she didn't.

"Nothing, really," Sarah said casually. "Kind of an inside joke."

Amanda rolled her eyes. Sarah ignored it. As long as she kept her head, she could talk to Amanda without letting it become an issue.

"I don't care," Amanda said.

"Ok," Sarah said, completely unfazed. "Then what do you want?' She asked because she figured she should, but she already knew the answer.

"A battle."

Shock.

Sarah looked at Saphira. If anyone was going to fight Kain, it would be her. Although she didn't think they should battle without a judge, she didn't want to go back to town and try to find someone who just happened to know how to judge a battle, or who wanted to for that matter. Last time, they were just lucky that Alex showed up. But every battle didn't require a judge. They could handle it. Even though Kain was stronger, so was Saphira.

Saphira looked at her trainer and nodded confidently.

Sarah looked at Amanda and nodded. "Ok."

Amanda put up a hand and said, "Not so fast." Before Sarah could ask, Amanda reached into her pocket. "I don't want to just test your Salamence."

When she pulled her hand out of her pocket, a pokeball was firmly planted in her palm. She pressed the enlarging button, then tossed it above her head without a word. The beam of red light formed into the air, and as the ball fell back into Amanda's hand, a Flygon hovered gently above its trainer.

Sarah's eyes widened. She had another dragon.

"This is Flash," Amanda said as the Flygon landed on the opposite side of her. It fanned its wings and its glass orb eyes flashed toward Sarah's group. "I want this to be a two on two battle."

Sarah glanced at Saphira. The dragon simply looked back with a look that told her it was her decision. She didn't want to back down from the fight. She wasn't afraid, even though Amanda didn't always seem to play fair. But she did want to see who would win. After all, she was a pokemon trainer.

Sarah turned her head to look at her other dragons. "Who wants to fight with Saphira?"

Ignitus and Glaedr looked at each other. After an unspoken consent and a nod, they both turned back to their trainer, and Glaedr stepped forward and placed himself on Sarah's other side. Saphira and Glaedr made eye contact and smiled at each other. 

At the sight, Sarah smiled too. This would be their first battle together. Despite the current situation, she found it cute.

Seeing as Sarah had made her choice, Amanda turned and distanced herself far enough for a battle. William and Ignitus stepped back to give the battlers more room.

"Whoever knocks out both of the other's pokemon wins," Amanda said simply. She then nodded toward the arena and said, "Go Kain and Flash!" Both pokemon leapt into the middle, growling and posing for battle.

Sarah looked at each of her pokemon, then put on her battle mood and concentration. She pointed at the arena and said, "Go Saphira and Glaedr!"

The two dragons exchanged one more look, then, as if they shared the same mind, walked forward a few yards ahead of Sarah, lowered their necks, raised their wings and growled. Sarah blinked with surprise. If they could work together that well when they were just entering the arena, she couldn't wait to see how well they could team up during battle.

A stiff silence followed as each waited for the battle to start. Sarah was determined to do her best, but she was nervous as she realized her lack of experience in double battles. She had only battled that way once against Alex. Even though Saphira and Ignitus had done a good job, Sarah knew the stakes were a little higher. She and Alex shared a mutual friendship and agreement to play safely and fair in their battles. But Amanda was in it to win, and to win only. She wasn't sure exactly what lengths the girl would go to in order to assure of that. She probably had way more double battle experience than Sarah. Sure, that was just an assumption, but why show up with another dragon and challenge so suddenly with a double battle if she didn't feel she had an easy win on its way?

Although Sarah knew her role as trainer was the most vital thing in a battle, she knew the lack of experience would leave the ultimate outcome of teamwork up to Glaedr and Saphira.

After what felt like a longer silence than it was, Amanda raised her fist and shouted, "Kain, Flash, Dragonbreath!"

As the opposing pokemon prepared for the attack, Sarah was whipped back to awareness and scrambled her brain for the right move. Not able to think of anything else fast enough, she shouted, "Saphira, Flamethrower!"

As the opposing pokemon fired their attacks, the streams met on their way to their targets and doubled in size. At the same time, Saphira leapt in front of Glaedr, thrust her head with a roar, and shot a molten flame directly into the middle of the electrical stream. As she held the attack at bay, Glaedr snarled, leapt into the air and flew above and past Saphira like a flash, firing a well prepared Solarbeam in his wake. The grass elemental stream took the other two by surprise, causing them to jump into the air to flee, cutting of their own attacks in the process. As they began to gain altitude, Saphira and Glaedr followed them like Pidgeots chasing Spearows.

Sarah blinked at the display. That worked out better than she thought it would.

Glaedr and Saphira locked eyes on their steadily fleeing targets, pursuing as fast as their wings would carry them. A consent passed between the two without any eye contact or words, then they fired their Flamethrower and Solarbeam in unison toward the opposing pair. The enemy sensed the oncoming attack and locked their wings, one swerving to the left while the other swerved to the right, dodging the streams. Taking advantage of their position, they opened their wings, somersaulted by means of the wind that rushed against their wings and turned, increasing their speed enough to fly below the enemy. After a combined flap for thrust, they threw their bodies into the opposing dragons' bellies in a Body Slam attack.

Glaedr and Saphira snarled in protest to the large amount of force the attack belted out. They managed to flee the attacking pair by kicking off and diving downward. They passed mutual agreements and understanding between themselves wordlessly as they tried to decide their battle plan. They now knew the fighting style their enemy preferred and the obvious strengths they held. They obviously held great speed and used trickery during their disadvantages, as they did when they used their temporary drawback to sneak a powerfully aimed Body Slam. Unfortunately, the only way to win this battle was to be faster and smarter.

Kain and Flash followed the others as they looked for another attack opening. Glaedr and Saphira shared a glance and a nod, then Glaedr swerved to the right as Saphira swerved to the left. They made a full turn and enclosed the enemy in a closed circle, then fired a Solarbeam and Flamethrower. Although the attacks grazed their targets, the enemy managed to gain altitude before any real damage was done. In the second of distraction, Kain slammed into Saphira as Flash slammed into Glaedr, in which two battles involving tooth and nail broke out.

Sarah's heart raced as she watched the battle unfold. She had no idea what commands to make as she watched her pokemon decide on their own. Their vicious snarls echoed through the air as they attacked. Glaedr bellowed as he beat with his Wing Attack, all four leaves hounding the Flygon before him. Saphira, lip curled ferociously, sliced every which way with both paws bearing Dragon Claw, all the while aiming a bite into her enemy by striking like a snake. Sarah didn't feel she would be able to make any commands as she might ruin any plan that Glaedr and Saphira already had. As a trainer, she knew she had to take part in the choice of attacks, but for this battle, she would only call if she knew her pokemon were at a loss of what to do.

Saphira snarled as Kain's claws blocked her own yet again. She thrust her head forward in a snake like bite, attempting to strike her opponent's neck, but the dueling pairs of claws blocked her target. Every strike was either a miss or blocked. She was getting nowhere. Even without a visual, she knew Glaedr was having the same luck against Flash. No major hits or damage had been dealt on either side yet, and both matched the others' skills enough to prevent any progress. They had to find a different approach, or this battle would be fought until one side collapsed from exhaustion. But what could be the right trick for the win?

Seeming to have his fill of the fruitless slashing and biting, Kain roared in aggravation and swung a paw with an extra bit of strength, throwing off both pairs of Saphira's claws. He spun quickly with a vigorous flap of his wings and flew off, smacking Saphira's face with a harsh whip of his tail. She yelped at the suddenness of the blow, then shook her head to remove the sting, wings steadily beating to keep herself hovering. She watched Kain flee, teeth bared as a growl bubbled dangerously deep in her throat. It ceased as she was distracted by a figure flying swiftly past her line of vision. She was able to make out Flash following his teammate. She turned her head to check Glaedr's condition. Although she hadn't seen what move may have been used on him, she saw him shake his head while keeping himself airborne with a few struggled flaps of his four wings. Once he recovered and opened his eyes, he snapped his teeth and hissed very snake-like toward the escaping pair. He then shared a glance with Saphira, who remained silent as she tried to consider their next move. Glaedr's face softened, and through their mental link he told her he was at a loss for their next move as well.

Realizing suddenly the mistake they made in distracting themselves from the battle, the two swung their heads in the direction of the opposing pair, only to find them already pursuing them, a red, burning aura forming in Kain's open maw.

Although having no idea if Glaedr was aware, Saphira was in time to realize that the attack was aiming for him. Knowing his element was much weaker against the flame than her own, Saphira beat her wings with great momentum and thrust her body in front of his. No sooner did she cover him was she engulfed in flame. She cried out as the flames licked her smooth skin, but the damage was a fraction of what would have been inflicted on Glaedr. She heard Glaedr roar angrily behind her and managed to catch sight of him flying above her head and blasting Kain harshly with a Solarbeam. The flame against her ceased as the Dragonite wavered. She closed her eyes and lowered her head as she took a deep breath to recover as quickly as possible from the surprisingly harsh blow. Just as she lifted her head and opened her eyes, she felt a body push her aside. The gentle force of it let her know it was Glaedr moving her out of the line of fire. She opened her eyes fully in time to see Glaedr blast Flash with another Solarbeam. To have the strength to shoot one beam after another made Saphira believe anger was his fuel. Although understandable as she would react the same way, she felt slight guilt to know her injury had fed his momentary rage. However, it gave them a great advantage. As Flash fell, Kain was just beginning to recover.

The perfect time for action.

'Don't stop!' she shouted as she flapped in line next to Glaedr. Without looking at her partner, she opened her maw with a bubbling growl and fired a great Flamethrower upon the unsuspecting Dragonite. Not a second later she saw an emerald beam engulf the still faltering Flash.

Attacks still ablaze, Saphira and Glaedr moved their eyes to look at one another. A consent was passed, then they focused their attention on the opposing pair that cried out at the harsh attacks. They held the attacks as long as possible, taxing their strength the longer they waited. But their labors were rewarded as the opposing ones began to lose control of their flight and make a gradual journey toward the ground. They followed, holding their attacks as long as possible, refusing to quit until the enemy was defeated.

Finally, when they were just feet above the ground, Saphira and Glaedr ceased their attacks in unison, too exhausted to continue. Their efforts were rewarded as Kain and Flash fell the short few feet to the ground and became motionless.

Sarah stared as her dragons landed side by side, necks and wings slightly drooping as they panted. The display of the battle and the outcome just seemed so outstanding that she remained silent, unaware that her jaw was dangling stupidly. She hardly made any commands, yet her pokemon claimed victory over the battle. Though that may have made her feel insignificant in her role as trainer, she couldn't help but be amazed at the teamwork that her pokemon managed with virtually none of her help.

Amanda, on the other hand, was the exact opposite of joyful. Her eyes bore into her motionless pokemon, almost emotionlessly. She stood rigid, making no moves, other than a twitch of her lip now and then. A silence remained over the arena, other than the soft pants of the taxed Glaedr and Saphira. Her pokemon had lost. How could they possibly lose?

After an un-timed silence, Amanda retrieved a pair of pokeballs from her pockets and recalled her pokemon. The flashes of red light pulled Sarah from her trance and she (unknowingly) closed her gaping mouth. She watched Amanda for a moment as the girl stared at the ground. She didn't appear to have any emotion on her face. Per usual, Sarah waited for the girl to say something.

Instead of saying something, Amanda turned and walked away, back rigid and eyes glued on the ground.

Sarah blinked as the girl stalked away. It was the first time Amanda had ever walked away after a battle without a remark. And she'd never seen Amanda display an expression like that after a loss. She usually showed something, even if it was just exasperation. But she just… walked away. Strangely, it almost worried Sarah.

"That… was so… COOL!"

Sarah blinked multiple times as she came back to awareness. She turned to face her brother, who (as expected) stood with a wide grin plastered all over his face as he glanced back and forth between Glaedr, Saphira and Sarah. Rascal stood beside him and barked with his tail wagging back and forth, glad to mirror any of his master's emotions. Ignitus stood silently with his arms straight down at his sides, watching Saphira and Glaedr with pupils dilated in practical disbelief.

Sarah dismissed Amanda's strange behavior as simply being upset with a loss and focused on the win. She was now able to fully grasp and enjoy the fact that they had won the battle. And with truly stunning techniques, no doubt about that.

A grin spread across her lips and she turned to her dragons. They managed to catch their breath and stood watching her. She approached them, filled with pride at their job well done.

"That-" she put an arm around the crevice between Saphira's neck and head, "-was the best-" she repeated the motion with her other arm around Glaedr's neck as he lowered his head to her level, "-teamwork I've ever seen." Then she pulled them both in a hug. Both dragons began to hum affectionately as they enjoyed the embrace. Sarah squeezed tight, making sure they knew how proud she was through the pressure of the hug. As soon as she removed her arms from their necks, they each took over one of their trainer's cheeks and licked tenderly. Sarah giggled and rubbed their noses to cease the tickling tongues. She was glad they expressed their appreciation, but she didn't want to end up in a fit of giggles. She lowered her hands to her sides and studied the smiling pair for a moment. Their first team battle had come out beautifully. She couldn't get over the astounding amount of teamwork they shared. Despite their experience with double battles, they proved that they could take any challenge despite the conditions. And they did it together. It gave her pokemon-love-goosebumps.

Knowing the next step to take would be a trip to the pokemon center to let the two rest up, Sarah began to lead the way back. Even though it was only a short distance, the air wasn't heavy thanks to William's excited ranting. It was all, "It was so cool when you swerved like this!" or "When you kicked his butt with this!", all the while using hand movements to recreate the swift moves and doing air punches on Ignitus, who pretended to be hit harshly and exaggerate the blow by holding his stomach with his face twisted in animated pain. Sarah just laughed at the display. It wouldn't be any different than watching two eight year old boys recreate and exaggerate a fight. Ignitus may have been a large Charizard, but on the inside he was still a small, chipper Charmander.

As there were no serious injuries, a quick refresher was all that was needed to get Saphira and Glaedr back to normal. They soon sat at a table to unwind. Rather, Sarah was the only one sitting in a chair, as all the pokemon were too big and William decided to sit across from Ignitus while they goofed around with their fists. They faced each other and jabbed at each other's hands with playful punches. Sarah watched as there was currently no conversation. It was amazing that, even thought his fists were three times larger than William's, Ignitus couldn't be playing the game any gentler than if he were still a Charmander.

After a knuckle punch into the Charizard's fist, who pretended it hurt badly by yelping quietly and putting his finger in his mouth, William turned suddenly to Sarah and asked, "When's the next Gym Battle?"

The idea dawned on Sarah almost as something far away. She hadn't even thought about that. And after seeing the magnificent skills Saphira and Glaedr used to win the last battle so easily, she felt her chest almost burst with anticipation to their next Badge win.

"I don't know," Sarah said, a grin of excitement glued to her face. She checked the time on her watch before saying, "I think it's getting a little late to do it now." At William's disappointed expression, she continued, "But we can do it tomorrow. Right in the morning if we like." Her brother's face lit up once again.

Sarah paused as she tried to recall any information about the next Gym Leader. When they arrived to Mossdeep, they never went to read the sign, and anything she read about them on the computer in Dewford was long forgotten. Even with their renewed skills, she didn't want to go to their next badge battle unprepared. After all, it would be their seventh one. The dawning thought sent Sarah's stomach for a loop.

Standing from her chair, she addressed the whole group. "But if we want to do that, I think it's a good idea to learn more about the Gym Leader."

At her suggestion, William and Ignitus jumped up, all the more eager to join her. Saphira and Glaedr stood with much more control over their actions. Sarah laughed silently before leading the way to the Pokemon Center's Computers.

As Sarah typed in the town's name for badge information, William and Ignitus were practically touching her head with their noses they were leaning in so close. 

Without looking at them, she said calmly as she continued to type, "I know you're excited, but please don't breathe down my neck."

They came to awareness and pulled their heads back, apologizing sheepishly. Sarah just smiled.

Once the link to the Mossdeep Gym appeared on the screen, Sarah clicked on it. All seven pairs of eyes landed on the Gym Leader Link. Once Sarah clicked on it, the page opened.

All eyes widened at the information. None expected what they saw. As strange as it was, they weren't intimidated.

Sarah and Saphira looked at each other, then the corners of their mouths upturned into excited grins.

They were eager for the next battle.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Did you like it? A review would be the perfect way to let me know!

Anyway, for anyone interested, I decided it would be fun to give the characters theme songs. Well, it's more theme songs for the individual friendships. Only Sarah has her own separate theme. Anyway, here they are.

Sarah and Saphira's Theme: "Anytime You Need A Friend" by The Beu Sisters

William and Ignitus's Theme: "Life's What You Make It" by Hannah Montana

Saphira and Glaedr's Theme: "Anywhere But Here" by Hilary Duff

Sarah's Theme: "Fly" by Hilary Duff

Everyone's Theme: "On the Ride" by Aly and Aj

More songs that inspire this story will be posted later. If anyone hasn't heard these songs and would like to know, you can e-mail me for the lyrics. 

Thanks for reading!


	25. The Time Has Come

I missed Dragon Master's one year anniversary! I knew it was yesterday, but I didn't get to finish this chapter in time! Oh well. At least I remembered. I can't believe it's been a year. Even though this story started off oddly, and although my writing has improved but could still use work, I'm glad you guys are still interested.

And sorry for the delay in updating. Hopefully this chapter will make up for the delay.

The end of the story is coming…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Places such as these usually brought Sarah feelings of uncertainty and anxiety. They made her question her abilities and skills as a trainer. She always got a stomach full of Butterfrees caused by fear.

Strangely, she felt the exact opposite this time.

Sarah found herself clenching and unclenching her hands and tapping her foot silently as she stood in the challenger's circle of the Mossdeep Gym. She bit at her lower lip, anxious for a reason other than fear. Rather, she was anxious for the battle to start. In normal circumstances, seeing that the leader of this Gym was in fact _two_ leaders teaming up for a double battle would have left her in a fit of nerves. But after Saphira and Glaedr's show of skills in her double battle the day before, she was ready to use that teamwork for a badge win.

Sarah quit biting her lip, afraid that any more picking would leave a hole, then looked over to the other side of the Gym where the leaders stood preparing for battle. Meeting them was a bit strange, even after seeing a picture of them the day before in the Gym Leader records. She at least knew the leaders were female twins, early twenties, names Tate and Liza. But meeting them in person felt more like talking to two teenage sisters preparing for a day of shoe shopping. They were professional and polite enough, but the girly way they spoke, and the massive amount of times they used the word 'like' made Sarah feel like she needed to clean her ears afterwards.

Nevertheless, she was here for a badge.

"This will be a Double-Battle!" the judge called from the side of the arena, flag raised. "Only two pokemon a side. First to defeat both of the opposing pokemon is the winner!" He raised the second flag. "Choose your pokemon!"

In one fluid motion, Tate and Liza each retrieved a pokeball from their pocket and threw them into the arena.

"Go, Dusky!" Tate sing-songed.

"Go, Sunny!" Liza crooned.

A Lunatone formed from Tate's pokeball as a Solrock appeared from Liza's pokeball. In the shape of a crescent moon, Dusky shook as it round eyes flashed between sapphire and white, a strange groaning rumble echoing through the air.

Sunny, in the form of a rock-carved blazing sun, spun in a circle much like a Frisbee, flares spitting every which way as a hiss of fire joined its companion's groaning.

Sarah inhaled deeply for relaxation, waiting a few seconds before releasing the air as she tried to ignore the sound of William bouncing from foot to foot with excitement. The twinge in her stomach told of her slight fear to the knowledge of the opposing pokemons' strength. But she knew her own pokemon had great teamwork too.

Team already decided, Sarah pointed toward the arena without looking back and shouted, "Go Glaedr and Saphira!"

In temporary flight, Glaedr flew past Sarah's left as Saphira past her right. They met in the middle of the arena and landed side-by-side, eyes piercing the flashing eyes of the enemy, lips curled to bare pearly white fangs.

The judge waved both flags.

"Let the match begin!"

"Saphira, Dragon Claw! Glaedr, Body Slam!"

Both Pokemon kicked off the ground, thrust their wings for a burst of thrust, then jolted themselves toward the opposing pokemon, roars echoing viscously. Sarah's usual strategy for the beginning of a battle was long distance attacks, but she felt a head on attack would be a better choice, as it may not have been expected. She waited for the leaders' reactions.

Surprisingly, they showed no fear. Instead, the smiled broadly, giggled loudly, then clasped each other's hands and chimed as one voice, "Psychic!"

Dusky shook and groaned as Sunny spun like a disc, both glowing with a purple air. Just as Glaedr and Saphira were inches away from landing their targets, a purple light formed around them, and their flight was ceased, their eyes widened with shock. Sarah's stomach did a loop.

Both dragons thrashed their limbs and flapped their wings rapidly, panicking as they lost control of most of their movements. The opposing pokemon began to use the psychic energy to move the enemy away. Saphira snarled in protest as her wings would not move her forward. She felt as if she'd lost all motor skills, other than useless thrashing. Glaedr growled angrily as he found the same results.

Once a distance of ten feet was achieved, the opposing pokemon detained the dragons, then began to groan and spin faster. As they did, Saphira and Glaedr's pupils' dilated and they began to cry out as every inch of their bodies were assaulted by strangling pain. They thrashed harder as they could do nothing to stop the attack.

Sarah's heart began to race and panic set in as her pokemon's cries echoed through the air. They had no control of their flight and the attack was doing extensive damage. What could she tell them to do?

They had no control of their wings, but maybe they still had control of their mouths?

No other plan in mind, Sarah quickly shouted, "Saphira, Flamethrower!"

Although her mind was temporarily blinded by pain, Saphira heard her trainer's command. She pushed past the pain long enough to realize that she still had control of her mouth, opened it without aiming, and shot a Flamethrower.

Luck was obviously on their side, as the un-aimed Flamethrower hit Dusky square in the face, sending the moon-shaped pokemon backwards. It lost control of its psychic flow, and Saphira was released.

Saphira landed on all four legs, although they shook momentarily as they tried to hold her weight up. Fighting the urge to collapse, she fired one more powerful Flamethrower into Sunny's face. Although the element did little damage, it caught the pokemon by surprise and sent it backwards as well, releasing Glaedr.

Glaedr managed to stay standing on all fours legs, although his head and wings were momentarily hanging limply as he panted for breath. Saphira had a similar appearance as she tried to recover from the powerful attack.

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief.

But within moments, both shook it off as best they could and focused on the battle. Too much time wasted remaining stationary would increase the chance of a loss.

Tate and Liza didn't seem to have any concern over that turn of events. Instead, they just continued to clasp each other's hands and smile broadly, giggling louder than ever. Sarah blinked at the two. It was good that they were having fun, but she found laughing and smiling over a failed attack a bit… weird.

As if they were shouting the name of a game instead of an attack, the twins shouted, "Double-Edge!"

Sunny and Dusky rumbled and groaned, spun in circles, and shot themselves toward their enemies.

Glaedr and Saphira leapt into the air and made their escape.

The two dragons flew high in the arena, preparing to avoid the enemy while devising their next move. Sunny and Dusky chased after them, looking identical to a Frisbee and boomerang. Tate and Liza smiled and giggled at the display. Sarah tried to drown out the chuckles and decide what her pokemon should do next.

As the enemy began to close distance between them, Saphira swerved expertly to the right, turning a full circle and finding herself right behind dusky. She opened her maw and snarled as she fired a flamethrower. The spinning disc jerked itself out of the line of fire, then swerved at lightning speed and slammed Saphira in the chest. The dragon groaned and shut her eyes at the strong impact, then spun her body out of the way, smacking the enemy with her large tail in the process. Dusky began to lose momentum thanks to the massive hit, and began to fall, spinning more slowly by the second. Within moments, he hit the floor and spun around a few times before coming to a stop on his face, much like a fallen bottle cap.

"Yes!" Sarah shouted, proud of the achievement. No spinning disc could stop her dragon.

To her surprise however, the twins showed no sign of worry to their fallen pokemon. Instead, they continued to flash unwavering smiles and began to spin in circles together as Tate shouted, "Whirlwind!"

Dusky groaned, then flipped itself over like a flapjack, staying afloat a few inches above ground. Its eyes flashed, then it began to spin swiftly. Knowing what its teammate was attempting, Sunny spun down to Dusky's level and waited. Clouds of dust billowed around Dusky and were soon high enough to reach the dragons flying above.

Before Saphira and Glaedr knew it was coming, a great cloud of dust surrounded them, impairing their vision. The small dust specs bit at their unprotected eyes, and they began to cough as they breathed in the tiny particles. They tried to keep their eyes open to see the goings on, but their eyes couldn't handle the driving sand.

As Glaedr's eyes began to water, he began to thrash his head angrily, growling as he could do nothing to stop the particles. He may not have been able to see, but he knew there had to be some kind of action he could take.

Something to drive the sand away.

He steadied his head, closed his eyes, and began thrashing all four wings simultaneously.

As the great gusts billowed from Glaedr's wings, Sarah was amazed to find that the dragon was copying Dusky's move. What a perfect time to learn Whirlwind.

As Glaedr's gusts began to overpower Dusky's, Sunny's eyes flashed and it spun its way through the disappearing sand. While the cloud was still remotely available, it knew it had to use the camouflage to its advantage.

Saphira coughed and shook her head as she attempted to get the sand out of her watering eyes. Glaedr was ridding them of the cloud just to her right, but she still had no visual of the enemies' location. Instead, she let herself be satisfied that her tears had finally cleared her vision and the cloud of dust was almost gone.

Before the cloud had completely disappeared, Saphira was caught off guard as Sunny came flying out of the dust and slammed into her chest. She let out something between a whimper of surprise and a snarl of anger. The disc continued to push on her plated chest, attempting to drive her away from her companion.

In retaliation, Saphira thrust her head angrily, then slashed the Solrock viciously with a Dragon Claw, sending it away like a spinning disc. As it lost momentum, she locked her wings and followed it. Once she reached it she placed both front paws on it and pushed it toward the ground.

Within a few seconds, Saphira had Sunny pinned to the ground, holding it in place with both paws, neck arched and snarling loudly like a predator that just cornered its prey.

She opened her mouth and gathered molten flame in attempt to finish off this part of the battle.

Sunny began to glow.

Before Saphira could even guess what was happening, Sunny performed Explosion, sending a great white light across the arena. As it fainted, Saphira was thrown back mercilessly, snarling in panic and pain, as she could do nothing to stop herself from being thrown across the arena.

Seconds later, the Salamence was slammed into the challenger wall of the arena. The impact actually left a crack in the stone. She fell to the floor and made no move to get up.

"Saphira!" Sarah shouted. Her stomach did a loop as she ran to her dragon.

Skidding to a stop, Sarah immediately knelt down by the dragon's neck and looked at her face. Scrapes were visible across her cheeks, obviously caused by the impact against the wall. Her eyes remained shut.

Sarah gently touched the dragon's neck. Saphira's eye twitched with a slight grimace, so Sarah removed her hand. She would need a lot of healing, but she would be ok. Nevertheless, that was the worst damage Sarah had seen any attack do in a battle. It was almost frightening.

"Sunny and Saphira are unable to battle!" the judge called across the arena.

Sarah didn't know if the dragon could hear her, but said, "Good job Saphira."

The dragon's lip twitched as she made a very faint humming sound. A smile tugged at the corner of Sarah's lips.

Sarah stood up and retook her place in the challenger's circle, trying to keep her mind off her fallen pokemon. It was part of battling and she needed to focus on this one until it was over.

Seeing as Sunny had already been returned to it's pokeball and the dust clouds had been cleared, Glaedr and Dusky had taken places on the arena floor, staring each other down. Glaedr's neck was bent low, a flash in his eyes and his lip curled dangerously as he snarled.

Sarah felt a surge of confidence return. Hurting Saphira was a big mistake on Tate and Liza's part. Now they'd have to deal with a raged Glaedr.

Glaedr stared down the enemy, not even bothering to cease his deep snarls. He decided not to look back, knowing Saphira lay somewhere behind him. Even thought he knew her injuries were curable, seeing her take that much damage angered him. He wasn't just winning this battle for Sarah anymore. Now, it was for Saphira too.

Tate and Liza recovered quickly from the loss and clasped each other's hands once again, smiling as if it never happened. After an obnoxious giggle, Tate shouted, "Dusky, Flash!"

Dusky groaned, then let off a blinding light that engulfed the entire arena. Glaedr roared and closed his eyes as he protected them with one of his wings. Sarah had to close her eyes and cover them with her arm. The only ones who seemed to be unaffected were the twins; she could hear them giggling like it was a game.

"Double-Edge!"

The light disappeared, but the intensity left everyone temporarily blinded. Therefore, Glaedr didn't see as Dusky threw himself like a boulder right into the dragon's chest. He growled in surprise as he was pushed back by the impact. He dugs his claws into the arena floor in an attempt to halt the attack, leaving great gashes in the earth. He blinked as many times as possible, trying desperately to regain his eyesight. If he wanted to finish this battle, he needed to see.

Though the progress was slowed, Dusky strength was larger than Glaedr measured. No matter how he resisted, he continued to slide backwards, never coming to a complete stop. A growl bubbled deeply in his chest. The failure angered him, nearly as much as Saphira fainting. The only way to stop it would be by force. And finish the battle quickly.

Eyesight almost fully returned, Glaedr swung his neck like a whip and thrashed Dusky as hard as he could. It was enough to send the pokemon flying backwards. As the disc flew off, Glaedr wasted no time in charging, aiming as best he could, and firing a Solarbeam. He did not know if his aim was true, as he continued to blink the sight back into his eyes. He just held the attack as long as he could.

Once his energy was spent, Glaedr stopped the beam and lowered his head for breath, keeping his eyes closed. After a moment, he opened them again to see the fruits of his labor. Now that he could see, he could see a defeated pokemon in his line of vision.

"Dusky is unable to battle! The winner is Glaedr, and the victory goes to Sarah!"

Glaedr swung his head and hissed like a large snake, as if to say _'HA!'_ No giant rock could hold him steady. He held his head high and closed his mouth as he puffed air forcefully through his nostrils, nodding roughly as if to say he had put the enemy in its place.

Tate and Liza stared at the fallen pokemon, mouths agape and expressions identically shocked.

All Sarah could do was grin. How unfortunate that the twins had to deal with Glaedr when he was mad.

Head held high, Glaedr turned from the arena and strutted tranquilly toward the spot Saphira lay, giving Sarah a nod in the process. Sarah returned the gesture and headed to the middle of the arena as Glaedr carefully helped Saphira to her feet.

Sarah stood patiently as she waited for the twins to approach. When both stood in front of her, their faces were the exact expression of admitted defeat, yet a hint of content, knowing that losing was part of being a trainer.

Not moving jointly for once, Tate slipped a hand up the massive sleeve of her kimono. A badge rested in her palm when her hand reappeared.

"We present you with this badge," she said, stretching her hand out for Sarah to take. Sarah accepted, excitement rising in her chest as a smile tugged at her lips.

"Thanks," she said, examining the badge's shape. The pink heart was no less than expected of a pair of Gym Leaders such as these two.

The twins clasped their hands under their large sleeves and politely half bowed before departing.

Sarah closed her hand around the badge, watching the two leave before turning to her pokemon.

- - - - -

Luckily, no serious injuries were found when Sarah brought her pokemon to the Pokemon Center. Glaedr just needed a refresh, and all of Saphira's injuries were healed as if they never happened, even the scratches on her cheek. Altogether, she was glad to see that no harm was done, and they were one badge closer to the Pokemon League.

"Which city has the next badge?" William asked as he sat by Ignitus on the floor. The Charizard was holding the new heart-shaped badge between two claws and holding it up by his face, looking at William with batting eyelashes as if to say, _'Do you love me?'_ William suppressed a gag at the icky love joke.

Sarah checked her Pokenav for the next city. She knew which city, she just didn't know its location.

"Sootopolis," she said as she checked the area surrounding the city. It looked as if it rested in a large crater surrounded by the ocean. The inside was made up of bits of land where the buildings sat, then the rest was covered in water. The top was open to the sky, which would be their way in.

"Cool," William said, pushing Ignitus's face away as the large pokemon attempted to kiss him with smoochy lips. Rascal cocked his head at the display, tail wagging curiously. "When can we go?"

Sarah examined the city a bit more. From the look of it, the small bits of land were connected by bridges and most were covered in buildings. There was no vacant island or area visible for camping. Despite the map's surprisingly accurate detail, she didn't think they'd know for sure until they got there.

However, she was in no rush. After all, the final badge awaited them there, and Sarah could hardly believe that they had come this far already. As excited as she was, she knew they'd have to be prepared if they were going to win.

"Well," Sarah said as she put the Pokenav away, "It shouldn't take that long to get there, but I think we should wait until tomorrow. We might as well chill a bit before we get settled in the town with the last badge."

William made a face and fanned the air in front of him as if to rid himself of a pest as Ignitus blew an air kiss in his direction. "Sounds good."

'I agree,' Saphira said as she lay by Sarah's chair. Glaedr nodded in agreement. Rascal jumped onto Ignitus's lap and started licking his face as he understood what point the dragon was getting to in his game.

Sarah smiled. "Well, let's just have fun for today then," she said.

After a bit of exploring, dinner, and a quick training session, the group settled for bed around a fire just outside of town.

- - - - -

"Target five hundred yards ahead, sir," a Team Aqua Grunt announced, tilting the submarine's wheel slightly to the right.

Archie tapped the arm rest of his chair silently, listening with his interest only on the current situation. "Ready lightning cannon."

"Yes sir," a second grunt said in the next chair over. Small beeps filled the small command room as he typed the override code into the computer. As the screen before him flashed 'Access Granted,' a large gun appeared from a compartment outside the ship, pointing straight ahead of the submarine and toward their target; a large rock formation just under the surface of the ocean.

"Three hundred feet away," the first grunt announced.

Acting as serenely as one would during a typical day at the beach with no regard to their position underwater, Archie said, "Charge cannon."

With a press of a button, the cannon began to rumble. A bar on the screen increased with a high-pitched sound until it was fully charged.

"One hundred feet," the first grunt said.

Archie grinned.

"Fire."

After another button press, a great bolt of energy burst out of the tip of the cannon, blowing one side of the rock formation to nothingness. The debris and bubbles impaired all visual of what lay behind it. After a few seconds, it cleared.

A great Pokemon, three times larger than the submarine, peeked through the hole at its attackers.

One of the grunts gasped. "Kyogre!"

"Second fire, now," Archie commanded. The grunt regained his composure and fired the cannon again. This time, the blast struck Kyogre in the side. The great sea Pokemon cried out, rumbling the machine and the water around it. The attack continued until Archie commanded them to stop.

Once the beam ceased, Kyogre became quiet and lost consciousness.

"Target is knocked out," the second grunt said.

Archie grinned. "Depart to the hideout." He leaned back in his chair, satisfied with their venture as they pulled away. Despite the fact that the first Master Ball had not been retrieved and the first prize, Kyogre, could not be captured, the second one awaited the real prize.

"Now that the beast has been disrupted, the grand prize will appear."

- - - - -

He slithered lazily through the air, giving little attention to the space surrounding him. He blinked a massive eye and examined the stars around him. They all twinkled brightly, giving the place a feeling of beauty and of peace. Even though it was known as empty space, he called it his home. It was the place he lived. The place he stayed as a content guardian. A guardian over the legendaries that lived on the planet to his right.

Rayquaza steadied himself until he was merely floating in space. He listened to the connection inside his mind, the one that held the bonds to each pokemon he guarded. He concentrated, feeling for any disruption that may have plagued one of the legendaries. Each tie felt strong, therefore telling him that all was well. He began to close the tie.

Before he could, he felt a painful tug on one of the connections. He immediately buried his mind into it, feeling the contact and listening for the connection. It was from the sea beast, Kyogre.

The great dragon, growled and winced, curling up like a striking snake as he felt the sea beast's pain. Something was attacking it. Something had disrupted its peace. It sent him a brief message of its attack and the appearance of the attacker. It cried out for help. Then the connection failed.

Rayquaza attempted to reconnect himself with the creature, but there was no response. His only relief was found in the fact that the tie was no severed, therefore signifying that the pokemon was alive. But the tie was weak. The pokemon was attacked.

Brows furrowing angrily, the great dragon felt a surge of fury build in his being. He released it through a great roar that echoed even in empty space. As guardian, he had to solve this problem. He had to protect the pokemon.

Roar ceased but fury ever building, Rayquaza took off full speed toward the pokemon's home planet.

- - - - -

Something woke Saphira in the middle of the night. Her eyes cracked open, almost of their own accord. She peeked around the campsite to find everyone else sound asleep. No sounds other than the crackling of the fire.

But something inside of her brought her to her feet. She felt something was wrong. Her instincts, no doubt. They led her away From camp and to an area just outside the campsite. Her eyes looked to the stars, although she didn't know why. The uneasiness in her chest was keeping her sight toward the sky. Something wasn't right. But she didn't know what.

Another presence brought her out of her trance. As she looked to her right, she found Glaedr approaching, eyes locked onto hers. He stood next to her, and they stared for a few moments.

'Do you feel it?' she asked in a whisper.

Glaedr nodded, his eyes full of concern for the feeling they both shared. 'Yes.'

'Me too.'

They both turned their heads as they heard the third voice. Ignitus walked up to them, fiddling with his thumbs nervously. His pupils were dilated slightly with fear, and he was trembling. The feeling was harder for him to cope with than the other two.

Now standing in a huddle, they each studied each other as their instincts continued to buzz with concern. It was a connection to something going on, and a connection with each other. But none of them knew what it was. They just reacted upon it, yet knew nothing of the goings on. And if they didn't know what was causing it, what would they do?

Just then, another feeling cast itself over Saphira, turning her head automatically back to the campsite. Her concern ever grew, and this time, she knew what connection it was.

Without saying anything, she took off full speed toward the camp, her trainer the only thing on her mind. The other two followed right after her.

Upon reaching the camp, Saphira found Sarah in a state of panic. Although she was still asleep, she was rolling every which way, mumbling to herself uncontrollably.

Saphira ran the rest of the way over, skidding to a stop by her trainer. Nudging her cheek gently but forcefully, she said, 'Sarah! Wake up!'

Sarah's eyes shot open and she suppressed a scream. She scrambled into a sitting position, breathing heavily. She looked around herself quickly, then looked at Saphira.

"The dream," she breathed, a drop of cold sweat traveling down her cheek. "The snake… it killed me." She trembled.

Saphira felt a pang erupt in her chest. Whatever connection she felt that had woken her before disappeared and her concern was now focused on Sarah. Was this a coincidence? Did these things connect with one another? What did it all mean?

Concerned for her trainer's welfare, Saphira nudged Sarah's cheek and said softly, 'Go back to sleep. It was just a dream.'

Sarah wanted to argue, but her thrashing left her exhausted. She fell back to her pillow and went back to sleep.

Each dragon shared a glance. One looked horrified, one looked worried, one looked both. None of them knew what was happening. What could be happening?

With an unspoken consent, each dragon lay back in their sleeping positions for sleep. Ignitus checked on William to be sure he hadn't been woken up. Saphira lay even closer to Sarah, almost hoping to provide a protective tent from her dreams. Her uncertainty left a feeling in her chest that she couldn't ignore. Her trainer was having nightmares and she felt something was wrong. Yet she could do nothing about it.

Would she figure it out, or would something happen before she could?

- - - - -

With a gasp, she sat up abruptly in bed, a cold sweat covering her body. She breathed heavily and looked around the dark surroundings of her room. Her chest still held a pang of fear. She felt the surge. She knew it happened. Something was wrong.

And she knew what it was.

Casting her gaze to her dresser, she let her eyes rest on the glass orb that lay under a cloth.

She sighed, shaking her head. "The time has come."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Interested? Have it figured out yet? The story is going coming to an end! I don't know how many more chapters, but not many. Please review!


	26. The Aura of the Dragon

Short chapter, but this story is almost over. This is not the last one, but it shouldn't be long before the last one is posted. Enjoy!

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She had had it. It had gone too far. She tried to convince herself that it would go away, just as the others had told her. But it hadn't. It just kept getting worse. Each dream showed something different, and the disturbance increased with each one. She could handle it the first time around when it only consisted of a blue haze and a snake-like creature. Not much to deal with. But it became more complicated as an orb came into the scene. Although strange, it was easy to deal with. But once the third version revealed itself, it wasn't comforting at all. The orb in her hand, the haze surrounding her, and the snake devouring her like helpless prey. She was greatly disturbed. And she didn't know what to do.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore," Sarah said briskly as her brother tried to ask her about the new dream. After recalling it once that morning to let everyone know about it, she was in no mood to repeat it. All it would do was ask questions that no one could answer. She didn't have enough sanity to keep telling herself that everything would be ok, then have it blow up in her face every time a new dream came along. One could only handle so much high hope dashing in such a short span of time. But that was where the problem lay; she was always getting her hopes up when she convinced herself that nothing would come of it. And some people, she was sure, would tell her she was right in that approach. After all, it was just a dream.

No. It wasn't. She knew there was more to it than that. The frequency, repetitiveness and increase in disturbances in the dream were too much to ignore. They meant _something._ But what?

No. No more questions. She wanted answers.

Everyone kept silent and left Sarah alone on the way to the Pokemon Center. She just kept her head down and examined the ground she walked on, not caring to give her mind a break from the fear that clouded it. She wouldn't be able to relax until she knew what all of this meant. She was scared.

But what was she scared _of?_ The dream reoccurring, or of finding answers? If she found answers, she would no longer fear the secrets the dream held, and maybe they would stop. But what if the answers were worse than the dreams themselves? She just didn't know. It was a no win situation, one that she felt she had no choice in as she hadn't a clue where to find the answers. Never had she felt so clueless before. She hated it.

Upon entering the Pokemon Center, Sarah felt out of place in the small crowd of happy, laughing trainers and pokemon. She had just felt that way the day before, yet it felt longer. She wanted to mirror their emotions, be her usual happy self, but her worry blocked it out like a wall. How could she go back to being a chipper, worry free girl when this could happen all over again? She would be right back to where she was now. She was tired of having her joy dashed.

As the group went to the cafeteria line, Sarah planted herself in a chair by one of the tables, staring at the white surface. She tapped her finger against her blurry reflection that shown against the smooth white surface, not sure how else to react to her feelings. She just knew she wouldn't react with food; her stomach felt too sick.

She barely paid attention as the soft clicks of talons against the floor steadily grew louder behind her. She knew it was Saphira coming to cheer her up. But she didn't think even she could do that, nor was she sure she wanted that. Not when there was so much happening.

Saphira appeared next to Sarah, watching her trainer with intent eyes. She quietly lay herself down by the chair so her head was level with Sarah's. Sarah didn't look at her or even acknowledge that she knew she was there. Saphira simply waited, taking no offense to any of Sarah's actions. She would let her work out her feelings until she decided to speak. The dragon knew her trainer would say something eventually.

Finally, she did.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said, still avoiding the dragon's gaze. She was ashamed of the sharp tone she was using, but it seemed to be the only one she could access at the moment. She just let it come out, almost not caring how it made her look. She couldn't look any worse than she felt.

Saphira waited a bit longer before speaking. When she did, she showed no upset toward Sarah's tone. Instead, she spoke normally and calmly. 'Would you rather stay upset?'

_Would she rather stay upset?_ The question was almost funny to Sarah. Of course she wouldn't. But would this conversation do any good? Sarah sighed, pulling her finger tapping hand down to rest on her lap. "Talking about it isn't gonna make it stop."

Saphira nodded, although she was still getting no visual attention from her trainer. Words would have to be chosen carefully to get through to her. Normally, cheering Sarah up was as easy as pie. But it would take a careful approach this time. 'True. But keeping feelings inside during hard times is the opposite of help.'

For whatever reason, the comment, although said kindly, touched a nerve. This time, Sarah looked her dragon in the eyes. "You wanna help?" she said agitatedly. "Then figure out what the heck is going on."

A pang of guilt sickened Sarah's chest as she spoke to Saphira in such a way. Was it right for her to speak to her like that? She knew she was doing the opposite of helping herself by turning away the ones who wanted to be there for her. They didn't deserve to be treated in such a way. But she meant what she said; the only help she wanted was for someone to make it _stop._

Saphira blinked, tranquil to Sarah's words. She held no offense to it, as she knew the anger was not directed toward her personally. She knew that words would not help now as she sensed a wall Sarah had put up to block any comfort. She couldn't help her unless she removed it.

The dragon stood up, then gently, almost motherly, rubbed her cheek against Sarah's, humming softly as if to sooth Sarah's fear. The girl's first instinct was to pull away, not feeling up to any sort of comfort that wouldn't stop the events altogether. But how could she ever refuse such loving comfort from her closest friend?

Sarah felt her fear soften, and her wall begin to fall. Instead of bitterness and the need to be alone, she felt full of sorrow and a sudden urge to cry. She held back the tears, but hugged the dragon's neck for more support. It was difficult to let herself be so downtrodden, no matter her situation. It cost her too much, physically and emotionally. She needed to count on her friends, the ones she knew would be there for her. They may not always have answers, but they had her back. That was what mattered.

Sarah departed from the hug, carefully wiping the corners of her eyes. Her chest felt like it would burst, but she maintained her emotions. If she had to suffer through so much fear, she didn't want her friends to suffer with her. She needed to be willing to let them help in any way they could.

Saphira waited until Sarah looked at her before giving a soft smile. Her eyes sparkled with affection as she spoke gently. 'I know things have been very difficult.' She paused long enough to lick Sarah's cheek, in which the girl suppressed a giggle toward the warm tongue. 'But we need to work as a team and accept help, even if we feel we don't want it.'

Despite the obvious fact that this situation was much more serious than any typical problem, Sarah nodded in agreement, finding a smile tugging at her lips. After all, the times you want help the least tends to be the times you needed it the most.

Saphira nodded back, agreement bonded between the two.

The dragon's gaze fell to a bit more of a serious, yet still collected look. She succeeded in calming Sarah down, but she wanted to maintain that as she prepared to tell her what she had experienced the night before. If they hoped to find a solution to the problem, they had to inspect the detail. And she believed her sense of something wrong and finding Sarah having a nightmare immediately after had a connection. It may be of little use, but all help was needed. Therefore, she had to tell the girl, yet keep it collected. And word it correctly, as she didn't want any upset.

Taking a short time to consider her words, Saphira looked at Sarah with calm sincerity. She displayed seriousness and causality in her tone as she spoke. 'I sense that your dreams are connected to something that is happening.'

Sarah once again became serious, yet not in fear. More of shock and curiosity. "What do you mean?"

'Last night, I sensed something,' Saphira began, looking toward the ceiling. She squinted her eyes as she tried to remember the feeling, tried to make sense of it. 'Something was… out of place.' She looked at Sarah. 'Glaedr and Ignitus sensed it too.'

Sarah glanced at the floor, her mouth slightly open as she thought about it.

'You were fine when I left the campsite as my instincts told me,' Saphira said, bringing Sarah's attention back to her, 'But once Glaedr and Ignitus arrived, we rushed back to the site as I sensed something wrong with you.' She put on a face of sympathy. 'We found you thrashing in a nightmare.'

Sarah blinked, shocked, yet not sure what to think of the event. Maybe she felt some connection to something big happening? And her pokemon did too? What was happening, and why did they sense it? It could be something that could affect more than they knew. Did it frighten her? Absolutely. Was it better than thinking she'd be having this worsening dream constantly? Yes.

She voiced the questions to Saphira. The dragon shook her head. 'I don't know. But I have a feeling we will soon find out.'

And Saphira's feelings were usually right.

Each turned their heads as they heard the footsteps of the others approaching. William sat at a chair with an over piled tray as Ignitus sat on the floor with his and set Glaedr's in front of him. He looked at his sister for a moment, his face covered with concern. He wasn't sure if he was allowed to say anything to her. But when she looked at him, he noticed a small, familiar spark in her eyes that meant she was doing better.

He immediately spoke up, pointing to his tray. "I got some extra in case you wanted some," he said.

Sarah couldn't help but react in the way that she normally would; she giggled at his thoughtfulness.

"Thanks," she said, smiling. He smiled back.

Instead of immediately accepting his offer, she looked around the group and said, "If we're gonna figure this out, we need to work together."

Everyone was glad to accept it.

Unfortunately, all that was gained from their discussion during breakfast was the mechanics of the night before. Saphira sensed something first, then went to follow it by her instincts. Glaedr followed her, as he felt a tug to his not long after. Ignitus followed his slightly fearfully, but didn't resist the tug nonetheless. William was sorry he missed it all. Rascal just licked his breakfast off his nose, clueless to what they were talking about. Other than that, and knowing that everything was somehow connected, no real knowledge was gained.

But it made them realize that something big must be happening somewhere, and, as frightening as it was, they needed to be alert for whatever it was.

With nothing to do after breakfast, the group began to flight to Sootopolis. They discussed the events at first, but found themselves asking the same question and getting no answers, so they left it at that.

They didn't arrive until noon. The city seen above the crater was beautiful; blue ocean surrounding small, cozy islands, dotted with small buildings and houses. The island with the pokemon center was the largest, with a Pokemart and eight houses in different areas.

Upon landing in front of the Pokemon Center, they all stayed for a meal, as Sarah wasn't up for a badge. Even though she was feeling a bit better about the situation, she wasn't in the mood in the slightest. She felt sorry to say that a badge currently felt unimportant compared to their current worry. Even with no real clue to what it was, Sarah wasn't ready to relax yet. Maybe it would take time. Maybe it would take a solution to the problem. All she knew currently was that she wasn't ready.

The day was spent exploring the town. They crossed each bridge and visited each island. Each one was a different size, and some had more houses than the others. Strangely, one island actually only had on house, which they explored very little before leaving, fearing that it may be private property.

Vacant spots for camping didn't seem available, so they knew a night in the Pokemon Center was required. The only downside to that would be that all three dragons would have to stay in the common room. Sarah couldn't bear the thought of being away from them during such a delicate time. If she dreamed again, she needed Saphira there. So she asked the receptionist if they could let them all stay there for the night. Although hesitant, she said it was fine as long as they followed the rules and stayed out of the pathways. Utterly relieved to hear that, Sarah felt content as night came and they settled for bed.

- - - - -

Finding her night dream free was bliss. It didn't lower her guard, but it improved her mood. She knew she'd have to work at it one day at a time until they figured out what was happening. It sounded tough, but she was willing to try.

And for that day, she was at a loss for a schedule. She still had no desire for a badge, no matter how much better she felt. Currently, badges were on hold. She needed a peace of mind before she could continue that part of her journey. Thankfully, no one in the group objected, respecting Sarah's feelings. But what would they do in the meantime?

Walking along one of the islands was their objective for the time being. The evening was nice enough with a tolerable temperature, painted with a cloud-dotted, orange tinted sky. The soft breeze and intoxicating smell of warm summer grass was enough to sooth Sarah's senses. She could ignore her worries and thoughts and just enjoy the elements around her, giving almost no attention to anything else. Just the safe vicinity of her mind. For now, that was where she found her rest.

Unfortunately, the vicinity was breached suddenly as Sarah felt something wrap around her wrist, much like a hand. She jumped and instinctively pulled her arm away, spinning toward the possible attacker. The hand released its grip without a struggle.

Sarah blinked as she found herself face to face with an elderly woman. Both hands rested one over the other on the tip of the cane that supported her, and she stood only as tall as Sarah. She looked at the girl in front of her through long strands of silver hair that fell along the sides of her wrinkled face. Despite the softness in her eyes, Sarah was leery.

Saphira curled a lip and growled deeply, taking a step toward the woman. But she showed no signs of fear. Instead, she simply raised a hand and placed it softly on Saphira's nose. The dragon became still and quiet as they gazed into each other's eyes. The woman stood unblinking and expressionless, focusing on the dragon. Saphira's eyes softened immensely, her body becoming rigid as the seconds ticked by. Sarah looked back and forth between the two, heart racing with the suddenness of the woman's appearance and of her reaction to Saphira's behavior. She glanced at Glaedr and Ignitus for their reactions. They both watched, eyes intent and focused, yet no worry visible on their faces. William just looked back and forth in confusion.

After a moment, the woman removed her hand, and Saphira took a step back, her eyes remaining open and her pupils slightly dilated as she watched the woman intently and curiously.

The woman blinked once, then turned her eyes to Sarah's. The girl almost flinched, finding the meeting odd. She wanted to ask what she wanted, not wanting to be impolite, but remained silent.

After a moment, the woman finally spoke.

"For answers, please come with me."

She didn't answer right away. She had no idea what the woman was talking about. She glanced at Saphira for support, only to find the dragon still watching the woman intently. Her only consolation was Saphira's lack of resistance. Unsure of what else to do, she used it as a basis for her decision.

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked, almost quietly.

Sarah resisted the urge to jump back with surprise as the woman took a step toward her. Although it wasn't done threateningly, Sarah wasn't sure how else to react to the strange behavior.

The old woman stopped just inches away from Sarah's face, a distance that made Sarah uneasy. The old gray eyes stared into the young russet ones, silently and unblinking.

The woman cocked her head gently to the side. "Dreams have disturbed you," she said, eyes squinting as if she saw something in the girl's eyes.

Sarah's heart found its way to her throat. How in the world did she know?

As if sensing the question, the woman said, "Your eyes reflect anguish. Something unknown has been troubling you."

Sarah's eyes widened vastly, and her mouth remained shut as if her teeth were glued together. _Where_ did this woman get this information? _How _did she know _any_ of this?

The woman backed away, her eyes never leaving Sarah's. She blinked once, showing no regard to Sarah's eye bulging or the others that surrounded her. "They mean more than you know."

No idea how to react to any of it, Sarah just stood there. Her head felt like it was suspended in a cloud. Perhaps she was dreaming now. How could a complete stranger know anything about her dreams? And they meant _more_ than she knew? Following that comment, Sarah didn't think she wanted to know.

As she received no response, the woman turned around and hobbled away with the support of her cane. Sarah came back to her senses and watched with confusion, wondering if she was just leaving after all that.

But the woman turned her head and said, "Come with me."

Sarah swallowed carefully as she tried to decide what to do. Following a complete stranger wasn't on her list of smart things to do, especially when they just so happened to know about strange dreams she'd been having. But despite the complications, didn't she want answers? If this woman knew of her dreams, wasn't it likely she held the truth behind them?

She almost flew sky high as she felt something nudge her forward. She spun around to come face to face with Saphira. By the look of her eyes, the dragon looked to be back in her own mind, but something else lay in the strange glimmer in her eyes. It looked of worry and a pang of fear.

'Follow her,' she said.

Sarah was unsure if she heard the dragon correctly. Would it be wise to follow a stranger who claimed to know of her dreams?

Wait. _Wise._ Saphira was much wiser than Sarah. Despite her doubts, she trusted her.

Sarah tried to ignore her churning stomach. Saphira nodded, giving Sarah some reassurance. The girl nodded back, looking to the others in the group, who simply waited for her decision.

Knowing no other option, Sarah based her decision on Saphira's reaction. With slight hesitance, she followed the woman with Saphira right by her side, the others following right behind them.

Each step felt like an eternity to Sarah as the group followed the woman across the island. She could hear her heart thudding as loudly as her own breathing. She walked a bit closer to Saphira for support, only watching the woman as she walked a ways ahead of them. She still didn't know if she wanted to know what she had to say. But what _did _she have to say? It just left more questions. She hoped she was ready for the answers.

Soon, the group found themselves on the island with one house. It was odd to think that she lived there and hadn't approached them before, especially when they had looked around the island.

Upon reaching the front door, the old woman opened it and turned to the group. Sarah took it as a gesture to come inside. Her first reaction was to take a step back, standing closer to Saphira. She wouldn't go anywhere without her, and the dragon's bulk wouldn't fit through the door.

Luckily, the woman found no problem in the choice. Instead, she went inside the house for a moment, then came back out, carefully pulling a wooden chair with her. She shut the door, placed the chair beside it and sat down carefully.

Sarah just eyed the woman as she laid her cane across her laps and folded her hands one over the other. Her heart wouldn't stop pounding with anxiety, and it was impossible to swallow the lump in her throat. All she could do was wait to hear what the woman had to say. Although she was still unsure if it would be anything she wanted to hear.

Once comfortable, the woman set her eyes on Sarah. The girl squirmed under the stare. She wanted whatever she had to say be said and done so they could leave.

Finally, after a few painstaking moments, the woman began to speak loudly and clearly. "My name is Eirena."

Sarah just breathed deeply. She glanced at Saphira, who nodded back reassuringly. For some reason, Sarah felt it harder to hear the woman talk that it was to wait for her too.

Not wanting to be rude despite it all, Sarah prepared to form her name past the lump. But she never got the chance as Eirena said, "It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Sarah."

Sarah's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets. _She knew her name too?_ Where was she getting this information?

Before she had a chance to ask, Eirena said, "An old woman like me watches the news too, you know."

The girl calmed down a bit as she remembered her little interview on TV. Knowing her name wasn't all that surprising.

But that didn't explain how she knew of her dreams.

Sick of waiting, Sarah forced the lump down her throat so she could speak. "How do you know about my dreams?"

There was a short silence that followed, one that made Sarah uneasy. Eirena appeared to be calculating her answer. Something in her expression made Sarah feel that it was something that needed careful explaining.

After a short sigh, Eirena finally said, "I know of them… because I am connected to the power behind them."

Sarah blinked. What did that mean? Did it mean…

"_You've_ been causing these dreams?" Sarah asked, finding her finger pointing and her voice reverberating with anger. The sudden change in emotion startled everyone around her, including herself. But such realization was shocking enough to alter anyone's mood.

But to her surprise, Eirena shook her head. "I am connected to the same power, but I am not the one causing the dreams."

Sarah lowered finger and boiled down. No longer was she angry, but curious and terrified at the same time. But she was also confused.

Eirena sighed again. She appeared to be preparing herself for something she would regret. A sight that was all but comforting to Sarah.

Eirena hesitated, then began her explanation. "There has been a disturbance in this world. One connected to the legendaries." She looked Sarah carefully in the eye. "One that has affected you deeply."

Sarah felt just as clueless as before. And frankly, she was tired of wondering. "Meaning?"

Instead of beating around the bush, Eirena decided to just come out with it. "We are both connected to the legendary beast Rayquaza. I am connected by my power to see Aura, and you are connected by your own special Aura."

Normally, such a comment would have left Sarah in a fit of nervous twitches. But she was hardly having any success in believing anything she just heard. Shaking her head in confusion, she asked almost agitatedly, "What?"

Instead of answering, Eirena got up from her chair and took a step toward Sarah. Although the girl was a bit startled, she stayed her ground. Once Eirena was standing right in front of Sarah, she looked into her eyes momentarily before closing her own.

Alsmot everyone in the group gasped as the old woman began to glow with a blue hue surrounding her body. Her hair began to waver as if blown by a soft breeze. Eevryone just stared, horrified, curious and confused all at once.

After a few moments, The strange hue faded, and Eirena opened her eyes. She looked directly into Sarah's, her own reflecting a mixture of hope and sadness. Sarah didn't like the look.

After a moment, Eirena spoke softly.

"You hold the Aura of the Dragon."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

For anyone interested, Eirena's name pronunciation is below. I'm sorry for the lack of _everything_ in this chapter, but I feel that this story hasn't gone as well as I wanted it to, and I just want to finish it as soon as I can Thanks for reading!

Eirena- eye REE nah


	27. Responsibility

Getting closer, but still not the last chapter.

I forgot to mention that Eirena's name means Peace. I chose it because she's the one that tells Sarah how to bring peace to the upcoming event. Enjoy!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dreams. They were known as the gateway to the subconscious, showing dreamers what they secretly wanted, even if they didn't know it in their waking moments. Sometimes they reflected an inner concern, showing a dreamer visions of something they deeply feared.

So… was Aura the same thing as the subconscious? It was the only explanation Sarah could come up with thus far. She 'feared' the dreams, but only _after _they came. She wasn't dreaming because she was afraid; she was afraid because she was dreaming. So, maybe the subconscious and Aura had no connection. But Rayquaza (which she realized must have been the creature in her dreams. Yet it left less of a shocking realization than she would have expected. Probably because she hadn't yet snapped out of her daze and decided how to react to any of the information she had just been given.) had a connection to Aura, therefore, had a connection to her. Perhaps she'd be more concerned if she knew what Aura was.

All Sarah could currently do was lift a finger, mouth half open in preparation to say _"What?"_, but finding nothing come out. She felt like a mute, unable to speak and just staring blankly at Eirena, who backed off a step, but still watched her intently.

"Aura of the Dragon?" William piped up. "What's that?"

Sarah shrugged her hand and nodded stupidly, as if to say, _"Yeah, what he said."_

Eirena removed her eyes from Sarah and examined the ground in front of her, carefully exhaling a deep sigh. She gripped her cane for support, tapping her fingers simultaneously along the tip. After a moment, she looked up. "It is the essence that rests within each person. It shows the deepest part of who they are." She paused, looking at each set of eyes before continuing. "Each generation of my family holds the ability to see this essence and learn about the person simply by observing it. Some stand out more than others, just as some barely stand out at all."

Sarah was glad the woman continued to talk, as she still couldn't find any words to ask questions. "Most Auras appear normal because most people do not hold any type of power in theirs. And some…" She looked at Sarah, "..stand out above a mass because their power is shining forth."

A power? What power?

"What power?" Sarah finally managed.

"Your connection with the beast Rayquaza," Eirena explained. She shook her head. "It is difficult to explain. And it may be hard to accept." She looked at Sarah seriously. "But you need to believe everything I say."

With that as an opening statement, Sarah knew she wouldn't like what was coming.

Eirena waited for Sarah to respond. All the girl could manage to do was nod. Eirena returned the gesture.

"My family," Eirena began carefully, "has been trained for centuries in the powers of Aura. Most could simply see its essence, as I can. Some could actually sense something within the power that told of things to come."

_Like fortune telling_, Sarah thought.

"These pre witnessed events are also known as Prophecies. One of my ancestors prophesized something that would happen in my lifetime, involving the King of Dragons, Rayquaza."

So, Sarah pieced together (even though her half aware mind still couldn't process or believe any of this) that Eirena could sense Aura and was revealing a prophecy that involved Sarah and Rayquaza. Dare she ask what it was?

"And?" Sarah said blankly.

Eirena paused and studied Sarah for a moment before saying, "What have your dreams consisted of?"

Sarah shrugged a bit. "I'm always surrounded by a blue haze and there's a snake like creature," she said, finding words slipping out easily as she wasn't in her right mind at the moment. She felt like she was dreaming.

Eirena nodded. "The blue is your Aura. In your state of sleep, it immerses itself into your senses and tries to warn you of the prophecy."

Sarah blinked. Wouldn't that mean that she knew of it?

"Not to be mistaken for knowledge," Eirena said. "You did not know of it yourself. Your Aura simply sensed it."

Sarah nodded, almost thinking 'Whatever.'

But something about the answer clicked inside her head. She didn't ask that question aloud, did she? But Eirena answered it.

Lifting a questioning finger, Sarah asked in sheer disbelief, "How did you know I wanted to ask that?" Now that she thought about it, Eirena had conveniently answered a few of Sarah's unspoken questions. Could she… hear her thoughts?

Eirena paused before answering. "I cannot read your mind. I can simply sense your emotions and questions because they are connected to your Aura."

Sarah's eyes bulged.

"And right now, your Aura is telling me that you are in utter disbelief to that statement. Also, you don't believe anything I've said is true."

Sarah just stared. She feared dreaming lately. But right now, she hoped _so_ much that she was dreaming.

Paying no heed to Sarah's bulging eyes, Eirena asked, "What else occurred in your dreams?"

"Uh…" Sarah said lamely, "An orb… in my hand."

Without a word, Eirena hobbled into her house. There was a silence in which Sarah tried to process everything that happened. At least, it was silent to her, for anything that may have been said to her was lost inside her spinning mind.

After a short time, Eirena reappeared, supporting her cane with one hand while carefully carrying something cloth covered in the other. She placed herself in front of Sarah, then removed the cloth from the object. As it fell to the ground, Sarah was surprised to see a glass, blue orb sitting in Eirena's palm.

After a sigh, Eirena said, "This is the orb passed down by my ancestors. It plays a major role in this prophecy." She looked Sarah in the eyes. "But right now, it will be your proof that you hold the Aura of the Dragon."

Sarah simply thought _"How?"_ knowing there was no point in voicing it.

"Only the Aura of the Dragon can activate the magic inside." She held it out for Sarah to take. "If it glows when you touch it, you hold the Aura of the Dragon."

This was the moment. The moment that Sarah would know if this was all a dream. True that she could be dreaming even if the orb glowed. But she knew, even as she slowly began to raise her hand to accept it, that whatever happened would bring her back to reality.

Did she _want_ to know?

No.

Did she _have_ to know?

Yes.

Sarah carefully removed the orb from Eirena's hand and held it in her own.

A blue light began to shimmer in the heart of the orb.

A mixture of a smile and a look of regret crossed Eirena's face. Sighing, she looked at Sarah.

"You hold the Aura of the Dragon."

The kick back to reality was like shattering glass. No more did she think all of these things could be a coincidence. She believed it. But she wasn't happy about it. At all. In fact, she was terrified.

Sarah swiftly placed the orb back into Eirena's hand, which then lost the light that her Aura powered it with. She took a step back, taking one deep breath after another. Even though she had no idea what she had to do as the holder of the Aura of the Dragon, just the simple realization that such a power rested within her was terrifying. Despite it, she had to know.

"So, what does this mean?" Sarah stammered. She hardly thought it was good news to be connected to the King of Dragons.

Eirena retrieved the cloth from the ground and covered the orb before saying, "It will not be easy to accept."

Sarah was becoming angry. "_This_ was already hard to accept," she snapped. Why she had undergone such a drastic mood swing, she was unsure. Probably the unstable fear that was beginning to overcome her.

Eirena showed no offense to Sarah's outburst. Only sympathy. "First, did your dreams consist of anything else?"

Sarah took the question as a change of subject to avoid telling her anything more too soon, which irked her even more. "In the last one, Rayquaza ate me."

Eirena closed her eyes and sighed. Sarah was getting tired of the stalling. All she wanted to know was what all of this meant.

After opening her eyes, Eirena looked at Sarah and said carefully, "I'm afraid that the legend that was prophesized was a dangerous one. It spoke of Rayquaza coming to this planet to stop something from harming one of the legendaries. Unfortunately, in his wrath, he will harm even the innocent to get to the one responsible. Therefore, although his logic is understandable, he needs to be stopped before any real damage is done." She lifted the orb. "With this, the one with the Aura of the Dragon can communicate with him and stop him from attacking. It is the only way to speak with him." She lowered the orb and her face fell sadly.

"And according to your last dream… you may not survive it."

A dead silence surrounded the group. Sarah swallowed carefully as the information settled in. Was this woman crazy? She had half a mind to continue disbelieving every word she had said. How could Sarah have _that_ much power? Why should she have to do _any _of this? And on top of that, why should she risk getting killed?

She didn't know what to say or exactly what she felt. She was confused, scared, denying. No, those weren't her main feelings. So she acted on the one that stood out the most.

She was angry.

"What makes you think you can just throw all of this on me!?" Sarah shouted. It shattered the silence around them like glass. "Your saying _I _have to stop some giant dragon when I didn't even ask for any of this!?"

Eirena was un-offended by Sarah's volume, but continued to look more and more guilty.

'Sarah,' Saphira said from behind her trainer. 'You should listen to her.'

Sarah rounded on the dragon so quickly even she was surprised. "So now you're gonna take her side all of a sudden!?" Sarah blurted. "You _want _me to kill myself by facing the biggest dragon in the world!?"

The harsh words were like a knife in the dragon's heart. 'How could you ever think I would want that?' She questioned, almost in a whisper.

"You're not sounding very against the idea!" Sarah shouted.

It was then that Sarah finally became aware of her actions. She never just exploded before, especially at Saphira. And she had never spoken to her that way. Her anger melted away faster than it came, and all she could feel was utter fear and shame. She couldn't handle any of this. It was all too much. And all she did was make it worse by yelling at everyone.

So she did the only thing she could think of.

She ran.

Ignoring everyone around her, Sarah took off full speed across the vacant island. She didn't know where she would go or how big the island was, but she had to get away. She had to think. She couldn't do that around any of them.

All Sarah knew about the length of time she spent running was that she reached a cliff at the edge of the island by the time the oranges sky faded into the black of night. She sat on the edge of the cliff, studying the ocean as a distraction. She hadn't figured anything out during her run. All she had done was try to convince herself that it hadn't happened, but found no success.

Luckily, it did manage to calm her down. Now that she was sitting alone, she could consider more of what she heard.

She still could hardly believe it. But somehow, she knew it was true. There was no way there were that many coincidences. But that didn't change the fact that she was scared. All this had been thrust onto to her suddenly and it was hard to handle. She was the _only_ one who could stop Rayquaza? How was she supposed to do that? Communicate with the orb? How? Perhaps she could have asked. But she hadn't cared. She was too scared.

Her chest clenched as she remembered the final word; she could die. How could she die? What did she have to do? What would make it so dangerous? If Rayquaza was coming to stop someone from hurting one of the legendaries, why would he hurt other people?

Maybe it was like blind rage. Sort of like what she had done to Saphira. She unwittingly hurt the dragon's feelings because she was blinded by anger and fear.

A tear of guilt ran down her cheek. Why did she have to make the situation worse by yelling at Saphira? Why had she been so cruel with her words? Saphira would never wish harm on her. She was simply trying to support Sarah in this upcoming event. Obviously the dragon knew she would have to go through with it. It must have been part of her instinct, her wisdom that had always helped Sarah get through a lot of hard times.

She wished she hadn't yelled. She needed her friend's advice right now.

As if on cue, Sarah was aware of the faint flutter of wings some ways behind her. Normally, she would turn around and smile. But her shame in her actions toward her friend kept her eyes focused on the ocean.

What Sarah didn't know what that Saphira was completely un-offended by her actions. Her only concern was her friend's condition. As she landed a few feet away from her, she stood still for a moment, watching her trainer silently. Her choice of words would be critical. The wrong phrase could alter Sarah's delicate state of mind. She needed to show that she was there for her while telling her the importance of what they had heard.

After a sigh, she took a step forward.

Once standing right behind her, Saphira stood still. Sarah hadn't shown any reaction to show she knew she was there, but the dragon knew she was aware.

For one of the first times in her life, Saphira was unsure what to say. Somehow, she had always had an instinct in her choice of words. But it took her longer than she thought for the right ones to come.

Luckily for her, Sarah found it in her heart to be the first to speak.

She turned her head to face the dragon, but stared at the ground by her talons to avoid her eyes. It didn't feel right to look at her just yet. "I'm… sorry for what I said."

Saphira had no problem accepting the apology. She lowered her head and rubbed her cheek affectionately against Sarah's, humming deeply. 'No harm is done.'

Sarah smiled and rubbed the dragon's other cheek with her hand. With no shame, she could start to feel better.

But that didn't solve the entire problem. As the two parted, Sarah feared what they would do about the Prophecy. She hadn't learned everything about it, but so far she was in no mood to hear more. All she knew was that she was scared, and rightfully so.

Looking up at the dragon, Sarah said in a small voice, "So, what am I gonna do?"

Saphira blinked once as she began to consider her words. She lay down and looked Sarah in the eye. The girl shifted her weight so she was facing the dragon while sitting.

Pausing momentarily, Saphira said, 'You need to believe everything Eirena said. It is all true." She cocked her head a bit. 'Whether or not you choose to go through with the prophecy is a matter of responsibility.'

By the girl's furrowed eyebrows, Saphira knew she needed to explain more.

'You have every right to decline the prophecy,' she explained. 'But you need to ask yourself… is that right?'

Sarah pondered it for a moment. "I'm scared," she said. "I could die."

Saphira nodded in understanding. 'But many others may die if you do not stop Rayquaza. That is where the question of responsibility lies. Would you risk your life for others?'

Sarah paused. Saphira was right. She may be in danger, but so were many other people. And she had the power to stop it. And if someone had that power, wouldn't they use it?

After a silence, Sarah breathed in a sigh of confidence, of responsibility. "Yes."

'Why?' Saphira tested.

Sarah looked Saphira straight in the eye, a glint of determination entering her own as she began to feel empowered instead of fearful.

"Because it's right."

- - - - -

Not all fear had disappeared, but a sense of responsibility kept Sarah's focus on what was more important. Terrifying as it may be, she could not sit back and let innocent people be hurt when she could do something about it. It was the same as when she suddenly protected Sam from the Team Aqua Grunt. It even showed when she stopped Glaedr from harming the Grunt they saw on the mountain. She had a protective nature. She simply forgot it in her lapse of fear.

But even though some of it still remained, she had her sense of duty in check.

Luckily, it made it easier for Sarah to sit in front of Eirena and listen to the rest of the prophecy. If she was going to go through with it, she needed to know exactly what to do.

"He will arrive here by tomorrow evening," Eirena explained from her spot on the ground. The group sat behind Sarah as she sat just across form Eirena, who had put out a set of lanterns so they could see in the moonlight. Saphira lay right next to Sarah for emotional support as she learned more of what she needed to do.

"How do you know?" Sarah asked patiently. She was glad to see that her emotions were stable enough to accept everything Eirena said.

Eirena simply smiled. "I can sense it." She reached for the cloth covered orb next to her and carefully picked it up.

"This will be your tool for the connection," she said as she handed it to Sarah.

"What do I do with it?" Sarah asked as she accepted it, setting off the blue shimmering light with her touch.

"Concentrate," Eirena said, clenching her fist like an encouragement, "And a beam of light will radiate from it. The beam must touch Rayquaza. This will connect your minds and allow you to communicate telepathically."

Sarah eyed the orb. "Wow," was all she could think to say. Telepathy was something she never even considered. She looked at Eirena. "How do I do it?"

"Simply think what you wish to speak when the beam touches him, and he will hear it," she said. Her face concentrated seriously. "You must tell him that he must not attack as he is, for he will destroy more than he means." She nodded. "He will listen because your Aura is a power equal to his."

Sarah's eyes widened. It was a power equal to his? Having that much power inside of her all this time without her knowledge made her tingle nervously.

With that thought, Sarah asked curiously, "How long have I had this power?"

"Everyone is born with their Aura," Eirena explained. "You've had it your whole life."

The thought was shocking. To know there was such a power that no one knew of until they were told was unthinkable.

"Why me?" she asked curiously. "Why am I the one with this Aura?"

Eirena half smiled. "That is a question that even I cannot answer."

Sarah smiled a bit back. Not everything had an answer, and for that, she wasn't sure it was necessary.

"So, what legendary is he trying to protect? And from who?" Sarah asked.

"Kyogre," Eirena said. "Unfortunately, I do not know from whom. I simply know that it was the sea beast and that Rayquaza would come right away."

"Just exactly where will he show up?" Sarah asked, wondering if they had to travel halfway across the world. Then again, they'd be out of luck. They couldn't go that far by the next evening.

Eirena looked to the vast sea to her right. Everyone followed her gaze. "Kyogre dwells in a deep sea cavern some ways in that direction. Rayquaza will come directly to this area and search the land for the attackers."

Sarah blinked. They were in the right place at the right time.

Now that she thought about it, the people here could be out of danger altogether.

"Can't we warn everyone about it so they can evacuate?" she asked.

Eirena smiled. "I have already considered that myself, but none would take us seriously. We would be labeled crazy people not to be trusted."

Sarah sighed. She was right.

- - - - -

That night, the group camped outside Eirena's house. With no surprise, sleep was hard to come by. Instead, everyone sat around the campfire, quietly watching the flames. It was hard to discern everyone's thoughts. Every feeling for the upcoming event must have been different. Sarah was trying her hardest to accept it, and at the same time trying to picture what it would be like. She was still scared, not knowing the outcome of the venture. But her sense of duty kept her sane. Whatever happened, she knew she was doing the right thing.

As she looked around the campfire, she studied everyone's faces as they watched the fire. Glaedr seemed tranquil enough, easily hiding his emotions. He had already given Sarah his full support on the venture. Ignitus did too, but his worry was harder to mask. The danger was something he didn't enjoy seeing his trainer in, and he wanted to help. Although Sarah hadn't answered him yet, she felt that she would soon. Unfortunately, he may not like the answer. They wanted to help her fight, but she had something more important for them to do.

William hadn't said anything since Eirena went inside, which was odd. He would usually rant about anything that happened, especially something this big. But his face was drawn and his eyes were scared. Sarah felt guilty seeing him that way, knowing it was because of her.

William looked up and caught his sister's eye. Without hesitating, he said in a small voice, "Do you have to do it?"

The way he said it surprised Sarah. She felt so sorry for him and so guilty for causing it. But she had to be honest. "Yeah, I do."

William looked at the ground. "But… I don't want you to die."

A pang hurt Sarah's chest. She could now feel every eye except for William's on her. In all her emotional fear she went through earlier, she hadn't even stopped to think how much this would affect everyone else. And it was harder on William than she thought.

"I'm not gonna die," she said, trying to cheer him up. Unfortunately, she didn't know that for sure. But what else could she tell him?

William looked away and crossed his arms. "You better not," he said, almost like a five year old who wasn't getting what he wanted. "If you do, I'm gonna kill you."

Sarah held back a snort of laughter to the answer. Despite her guilt, it was funny that he had said that and probably didn't even realize how funny it was. But she shook it off to get back to the point. "You don't have to worry so much," she reassured. He looked at her. "Besides, Glaedr and Ignitus are gonna take care of you."

Both dragons looked at their trainer, Ignitus looking shocked, and Glaedr looking unsurprised.

'What?' Ignitus asked.

Sarah sighed. She knew they wouldn't be happy, but she knew she didn't have a choice.

"Glaedr, Ignitus, I want you guys to take William somewhere safe while me and Saphira try to end this as quickly as possible."

William looked in disbelief. "But-"

"If it's gonna be this dangerous, I don't want you around to get yourself in trouble," she explained. She looked at her Charizard. "Ignitus will watch you and keep you company-" then looked at her Tropius, "-and Glaedr will make sure you guys don't decide to blow off what I just said and follow me." At first Sarah wasn't sure if the plan was a good one. If she had all three dragons with her, maybe the fight would be easier. But she couldn't let William just stand around in a city to get attacked. Ignitus would watch him, and Glaedr would be the responsible one, making sure they didn't follow her anyway. If things went the way she hoped, she would only need one dragon to ride. She would contact Rayquaza, tell him to leave, then it would be over. She doubted it would honestly take all three of them.

Before William could argue, Sarah said, "Just do it, ok? I wouldn't be able to concentrate if you were flying next to me by a giant dragon." She smiled. "It's gonna be hard enough to use 'telepathic powers' with _my_ head," she said, tapping her head with her palm. "I don't need distractions."

William's face straightened, then he smirked. "Yeah, I get that. Your head's not good with that thing you call… you know…" He put a finger on his head. "Thinking."

For the first time in a while, the whole group laughed. Even in a time such as this, it felt good to find laughter, even for a moment.

Sleep wasn't easy to come by, but everyone managed to find it sometime during the night.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It lacks so much, but I just want it to be done. Please review.


	28. The True Meaning of a Dragon Master

Hmmm… I just updated yesterday, didn't I?

Wanna know why I'm updating so soon?

Cause this is the last chapter of Dragon Master!

I was so inspired that it all just came out today. I only hope that it meets everyone's satisfaction. Thanks for sticking with me this whole time, and enjoy the final chapter of Dragon Master!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Her exact feelings couldn't be identified. Fear was among them, but only just, which surprised her. Anxiety may have been the most prominent. After all, she tried not to ponder the prophecy too much, knowing it would do nothing but pour doubt into her mind. But even so, doubt did float around her head. How was she sure she could accomplish this? It seemed easy enough; contact and command departure. Easy enough. But not when it was contact with a legendary dragon, no telling how large it would be. And dangerous, as she was told she may not survive.

But her most well known feeling was, surprisingly, courage. It was fueled by her sense of responsibility and determination. Knowing you held the power to protect others from harm was like an adrenaline boost to your mind. You felt as if you would do whatever it took to prevent harm. Maybe that was the boost she needed to keep her head sane.

After all, she needed something for sanity as the evening of the prophecy crept nearer.

"Go back to Mossdeep," Sarah said as William obediently mounted Ignitus. Failing to change his sister's mind that morning after one attempt was all he tried before giving up. If it had been something petty, like staying up late, he would have pushed it. But, no matter how much he disliked it, he wouldn't test his sister's limits with something so vital. He would do what she said.

"Ok," William said as Ignitus stood tall with the boy latched to his shoulders.

Sarah nodded and turned to her Tropius, who stood just next to the Charizard.

She looked him carefully in the eye. "Take care of them, and don't let them follow me. Make sure they get to Mossdeep safely."

Glaedr nodded respectfully. 'Understood.'

"How will we know when this is over?" William questioned. His motive seemed more on the verge of stalling.

"I'll call you at the Pokemon Center," Sarah said. She pointed at him with sarcastic warning. "Just behave until then, ok?"

William smirked. "Ok."

Sarah nodded. Thankful that this part of the journey had gone better than she planned, she rustled her brother's hair as Ignitus leaned down for her to reach him. She alternated for hugs between her dragons, then waved them off. "Go. I'll see you later." She used the phrase as a crutch for confidence. She needed it to convince herself that she _would _see them again.

Glaedr head motioned toward Ignitus, then leapt into flight. The Charizard took one longing look at his trainer before following hesitantly. Sarah watched them fly off until they were long past the border of the crater.

She turned as she felt a nudge to her back. Saphira licked her cheek affectionately. 'Well done,' she said proudly.

Sarah smiled and stroked the dragon's cheek. "Well… it's up to us." They looked deeply into each other's eyes. Something connected between them, a mutual understanding that would be their support for the upcoming event.

Saphira erected her neck high, smiling confidently while stretching her wings to their maximum span. 'Are you ready?'

Sarah smiled, more at her dragon's support and confidence than in answer to the question. "As ready as I'll ever be."

- - - - -

A tranquil face masked his apprehension. It had been too long since he began this quest. He could practically taste the prize. It was so close. Awaiting to appear above them. He released tension by gripping the arm of his seat. The dragon would come above the ocean surface they hid under. They would be ready for it.

"All systems ready, sir," a Team Aqua Grunt said.

He smiled.

The time had come.

- - - - -

The time had come.

She stood as tall and confidently as she could, her dragon partner by her side. They stood atop a cliff four hundred yards above sea level, facing the sun setting horizon, the one that began to hide behind the wall of the crater. At any moment, their destiny would arrive. Their courage would be tested. Many lives depended on their success. Pressure built in, but so did their determination. It may be over as quick as a flash, or it may cost them their lives. It scared them.

But they refused to turn back on what was right.

"Kyogre rests somewhere under the ocean in that direction," Eirena said, pointing toward the horizon. She rested her hand on her cane. "This is surely where Rayquaza will appear."

Sarah nodded without looking at her. She simply let the wind brush past her cheek as she watched the sun set. It was calming, invigorating. One hand rested on Saphira's shoulder, who turned her eyes to anything her trainer watched.

Sarah lifted her other hand and examined the orb that glowed by her touch. She sighed. So much power, so much importance lay in such a small object.

No. The real importance rested inside her.

An earsplitting roar drew Sarah's eyes to the sky. She watched the clouds intently, squinting in the slowly approaching darkness. Her heart began to accelerate. No matter her confidence, it wouldn't have been enough to prepare her for the actual moment the clouds parted five hundred yards out in the ocean.

Head first, a slender, massive creature slithered through the clouds as if slipping through water. Emerald scales shone brightly in the setting sun, making the beast look of pure beauty. His bulk was astounding; twenty-three feet in length and jaws wide enough to swallow Saphira whole. Once his tail end slipped past the clouds, his marvelous yet terrifying beauty was shown to all around them.

"Rayquaza," Eirena breathed, sounding in complete awe. Sarah's reaction was quite opposite. She became stiff as a board as the beast roared again, hungry for revenge. Saphira growled deeply in her throat, tail whipping viciously. He was a bigger opponent than either fathomed. Sarah's confidence began to dwindle.

Screams began to sound behind them. Sarah ripped her eyes away suddenly and turned to the sound. Townspeople could be seen a distance away, observing the large beast with terror, gathering their children and fleeing for their lives.

Something erupted in Sarah's chest. It reminded her; her fear didn't matter. These people were in danger. And she was the only one who could stop the threat.

A renewed vigor filled every sense as Sarah turned back around. The sight of the beast hardly had as massive affect as it had before. Her chest swelled with determination. Her duty clouded her fear.

It was time to fulfill her destiny.

No hesitation stalling her movements, Sarah turned to her dragons and hurdled herself onto her shoulders. She breathed deeply, pointed to the legendary beast and said, "GO!"

Saphira released a great roar, then leapt off the cliff, gliding into swift flight with cry still ringing. Sarah gripped the dragon tightly with one arm while holding tight to the orb. This was it. The time to stop the danger.

Rayquaza turned his massive head in the direction of the roar. Once his eyes rested on the small dragon mounted human, his anger flashed. Any attacker must be stopped.

Once a distance of one hundred yards had been covered, Sarah's attention was diverted by something in the water below. Saphira sensed the change and halted her flight, hovering carefully. Unbeknownst to the two, Rayquaza's attention had also been diverted to the ocean.

Through the surface of the ocean, a submarine immersed itself into sight. A large cannon was erected on its top, and the large A symbol on its side gave away the owner.

Sarah felt as if her heart gave out with disbelief. Of all places, Team Aqua decided to appear here? What could they possibly want? How did they manage to appear at this exact time, and why had they revealed themselves.

Remembering the beast, Sarah averted her attention to Rayquaza. To her surprise, she found him examining the submarine, his large brows furrowed angrily. She averted her attention back to the Team Aqua sub. The cannon moved and aimed toward the dragon. Sarah was puzzled. What was going on?

As soon as the question registered in her mind, the answer flowed through and crashed like a train wreck.

A flash of the Team Aqua Grunt who attempted to steal the Master Ball in the forest.

A flash of President Stone's saddened face as he told her of the stolen Master Ball.

A flash of the mysterious ball held by the suspicious Team Aqua grunt accompanied by a team member in the middle of a route.

A flash of Rayquaza's raged expression at the sight of the Team Aqua sub.

A flash of the sub's cannon pointing to the beast.

Team Aqua disturbed Kyogre. They knew Rayquaza would appear if they attacked him. They stole the Master Ball to capture the dragons when he came to the planet.

The flashes ended, and Sarah began to panic. The cannon cocked into place as Rayquaza hissed loudly at it with disgust. Surely, the Master Ball would come forth from the cannon and capture him. They couldn't let Team Aqua capture Rayquaza. True that the danger of the dragon's wrath would be gone, but the danger would increase if they gained control of the legendary dragon. They would have enough power to destroy anything they pleased.

They had to be stopped.

Even as she thought it, the cannon fired, and the Master Ball shot toward the dragon.

"Saphira! Get the Master Ball!" Sarah exclaimed hastily. Saphira obeyed her command immediately, locking her wings in a steep dive before flapping as fast as possible. The ball's ascent was swift, but the distance was closed quickly.

A second's time passed, and Saphira opened her jaws.

The ball flew through her open jaws, and she clamped it between her teeth just in time.

A great relief swept over Sarah. "YES!" she shouted, patting the dragon on the back. Saphira hummed as she hovered carefully.

Sarah looked below at the sub. A hatch on the top opened, and a man lifted himself halfway out the opening. He looked far up at the dragon and child, anger flashing.

"Let that go!" he bellowed loud enough for the pair to hear.

Sarah and Saphira simply exchanged smirks. They looked at the man, and Saphira carelessly clamped her jaws together, crushing the ball into bits that fell toward the ocean below.

The man's anger flared. "NO!"

Sarah continued to smile. She folded her arms and shouted, "OOOPS!"

The man waved a fist. "YOU''LL PAY FOR THAT ONE DAY, KID!" he shouted. "ARCHIE LETS NO ONE GET AWAY WITH RUINING HIS PLANS!"

Feeling brave in the seemingly useless threat, Sarah cupped her hands together and shouted, "I'M SOOOO SCARED!"

The man began to shout inaudibly, which Sarah could only guess were promises of revenge. Saphira chuckled deep in her throat.

Unfortunately, everything comical came to an abrupt halt as a massive yellow beam crashed just by the submarine, sending a great ocean wave into life. Sarah yelped and wrapped her arms around her dragon's neck to prevent falling off as Saphira twitched quickly with surprise. Her head snapped upward to the source of the beam. The last light of it flew from Rayquaza's massive jaws. The Team Aqua sub was blown away by the wave, and fell under the ocean.

Sarah breathed deeply and quickly in shock. It was a giant hyper beam. She watched the dragon horrifically at the realization. If struck by one of those, it could be instantly fatal.

Her heart almost stopped as the dragon's massive head turned to them, and a roar erupted loudly.

He opened his mouth and a glows formed inside his maw.

Sarah gulped.

Saphira took off.

The large beam was just barely dodged, and instead crashed into the ocean below, sending another great wave across the surface. Saphira flapped for their lives as the beast began to slither into motion and chase after them, resounding the sky with another roar.

Sarah held tightly to the dragon's shoulders as she tried to calm herself. _Don't panic, don't panic…_ she told herself. The orb. She looked at its glowing features. They just had to get close enough to touch him with the beam of light and tell him there was no harm Then it would be over.

Saphira dodged so sharply she almost rolled as another massive Hyper Beam zipped past them. Sarah had to stop herself from crying out. Getting close to him would be far from easy.

Sarah wracked her brain for strategy as Saphira worked on maneuvering them out of the way of the oncoming attacks, bringing them farther out into the ocean as they were chased by the giant beast. She didn't know how close they had to be to touch him with the beam, but as she glanced backward, she knew they were too far off now. Especially when their main focus was avoiding the Hyper Beams.

Perhaps a fire on fire would be a reasonable solution. Granted Saphira's attacks were less powerful than massive Hyper Beams, maybe it would be enough distraction to touch Rayquaza with the beam of light.

"Saphira!" Sarah shouted above the noise of the wind and constantly fired attacks that surrounded them, "Try to knock off his Hyper Beam with one of your attacks! Maybe it will distract him long enough to contact him!"

It was risky, but Saphira could think of nothing better. After dodging another attack, Saphira shouted, 'Hold on tight!'

As Sarah gripped as hard as she dared, Saphira spun her body around, thrust her head and fired a Flamethrower into the next Hyper Beam. When the beams touched, the flame altered the beams direction, and turned into the ocean, completely missing its target.

Sarah took the distraction and held the orb toward Rayquaza.

A blue beam shone forth and stretched across the distance. After a moment, it touched the beast's cheek.

Once it did, Sarah felt a strange presence come over her mind. It was hazy, almost suffocating, making her vision swim before her. She felt an anger enter her mind, yet it was not her own. She sensed the presence of another, and knew it was Rayquaza. She attempted to speak to him in her mind.

But she never got the chance as the sensation was suddenly ripped away as fast as it came. It was so sudden and forceful that it stabbed at her mind like the sharp crack of a whip, sending pain through her being. She wasn't aware as she cried out painfully.

For a moment, everything was dark and hazy. All she could feel was the jerky movements of her dragon beneath her. She began to breathe slowly as the pain ebbed away, and she came back to her senses.

'Sarah!' Saphira repeated. 'Sarah! Are you alright!?'

Sarah's vision swam back into life before her eyes, and she came face to face with Saphira. They were still flying high above the ocean, dodging Hyper Beams thrown at them by Rayquaza. She blinked at her dragon's worried expression.

What happened?

'Sarah, can you hear me?' Saphira asked.

"Uh… yeah," Sarah mumbled. She put a hand to her head. "What happened?"

'You tell me," she asked. 'After the beam touched Rayquaza you screamed and almost passed out.'

Sarah paused. As she thought back, she narrated what happened. "I felt Rayquaza's mind. I tried to talk to him but… he pulled the connection and… I think he attacked me."

Saphira blinked. 'He must not want you inside his head. He doesn't know what you want.'

Sarah shook her head to rid herself of the odd drowsiness left behind by the sudden shock. She rested both hands on the dragon's shoulders. "He can prevent me from entering his mind. We need to try again, and I have to talk to him before he does it again."

Saphira paused, then nodded. 'Understood.'

Sarah nodded back, then it was back to dodging and searching for an opportunity to cast an attack for a distraction.

Unfortunately, Sarah's first attempt seemed to flare the beast's anger. His attacks were more vigorous and frequent than before, making it virtually impossible to find an opening to attack. Minutes ticked by, and they began to wonder if they would last long enough against his wrath.

Shockingly, after a few minutes, the attacks ceased longer than normal, and a great roar erupted from Rayquaza. Both turned their heads to find out why.

In utter shock, Sarah watched as a green and brown dragon landed a Solarbeam in the beast's tail, angering him and making his focus of attacks be the newcomer. But what surprised Sarah even more was the realization that it was her brown and green dragon.

"Glaedr!" Sarah called out, shocked realization and anger at the same time. "What are you doing here!?"

The Tropius dodged a Hyper Beam sent forth by the raged Rayquaza, then came into equal flight by Saphira. He looked at his trainer sheepishly.

'It is unfortunate that I cannot perform the simplest of tasks that you trust me with.'

Sarah was puzzled. "Huh?"

"Letting you fight by yourself is something that isn't gonna happen!"

Sarah whipped her head around as the other voice entered the air. She was completely caught off guard to see her little brother riding Ignitus just next to them. Rascal wrapped in his arms as he barked in the wind.

"William!" she exclaimed. She couldn't decide if she was happy or angry. "What are you dong here!?"

William smiled. "Don't you remember what you told me?"

Sarah frowned in puzzlement.

William rolled his eyes playfully. "Taking care of each other and working together is what being a team is about!"

Ignitus nodded. 'We're not a team if we don't work together in any situation that comes along.'

Sarah blinked, then turned to Glaedr. The dragon nodded. 'Their motives were too correct for me to refuse.'

Sarah looked back and forth between everyone in the group. If anything proved that they were a team through thick and thin, this was it. Like it or not, they would see it through to the end, and possibly meet the fate that she may see. It was their duty as friends. More importantly, as family.

Sarah smiled.

"Then let's do it!"

Sarah briefly explained to them the battle tactic; distract Rayquaza so she could contact him and tell him everything was ok before he pulled out of the contact. It was well understood and soon, everyone was off to do their part.

As Glaedr took the left side, Ignitus and William took the right. Sarah and Saphira flew cautiously ahead, awaiting the distraction. Many Hyper Beams were dodged as positions were formed, and the beast began to get confused as they surrounded him. He shot his head back and forth, trying to decide which to attack Sarah raised the orb to take that moment.

Before she could even try to send forth the beam, Rayquaza roared angrily and shot a Hyper Beam blindly through the air. In his distress, his head waved back and forth, and the beam struck all sides. Glaedr tried to dodge it, but it caught him in the side and sent him back toward the cliff. His body struck the rock and fell limply on the ledge.

Sarah's heart jumped to her throat. That was exactly what she had been trying to avoid. Even though he may still be alive, no one was going to die during this venture. If _anyone_ did, it would be her.

Her fear was only increased, as Ignitus flapped panicky to get out of the way of the attacks. By the time he was out of range, he came too close to the ocean's surface and, to Sarah's horror, fell into the water and fell below the surface.

His tail flame couldn't have survived being immersed in water. The realization hit her like a brick. All she could do was stare at the point he fell, stiff as a board. Even Saphira watched with horrified eyes, hovering uselessly and forgetting all about the great dragon that continued to wail a Hyper Beam.

Even as Sarah felt ready to collapse with grief, something burst forth from the surface of the water. Once the water slipped away, it was utter shock to see Ignitus flying strong with both passengers unharmed don his back, his tail flame burning more fiercely than ever.

A great relief washes over Sarah. She now remembered; Ignitus had been training himself to keep his tail flame when it got wet. And he just passed the ultimate test.

She didn't have any time to celebrate as Rayquaza roared, coming back to his senses. Sarah jerked her head in his direction to find him looking directly at her. He growled loudly and slithered toward them.

Saphira turned the opposite way and flew off. They were very near a large, rock surfaced island in the middle of the water. Sarah turned her head and watched the dragon's approach. She searched the sky for her brother and Charizard, and found them close behind Rayquaza, attempting to distract him with a flamethrower.

But the beast must have sensed their approach. He flicked his tail and caught Ignitus in the belly, knocking them away like a pesky bug. They were thrown back to the edge of the cliff Saphira and Sarah had taken off from, and lay there still.

Sarah didn't even call out to them. A lump formed in her throat as she watched her companions lay limply on the cliffs. They came to help, she let them, and within minutes they were defeated. Why wasn't it easier with all of them together? Rayquaza was blinded by rage enough to take them all out. It sickened her. She hoped they were alright, but sickened nonetheless.

Saphira had had her fill of the violence as well. A growl bubbled deeply in her throat, and she roared angrily.

Once they were above the rocky island, Saphira twisted her body round, looked at the beast that was not on top of them with a Hyper Bam, and opened her maw.

At the same time, Rayquaza fired his attack as Saphira fired her first Hyper Beam in response.

The light from both attacks blinded each side, so neither could tell where the other was going. Because of the inability to see the opponent's attacks, both were caught off guard and struck.

Saphira cried out as the beam grazed her right side and wing. The blow lashed against Sarah's right leg, and she couldn't help but cry out with her partner. At the same time, Saphira's Hyper Beam struck Rayquaza in the open maw. He cried out as well as the damage was more severe than he would have fathomed.

All three fell toward the rocky island, Saphira no longer in control, of her flight because of her wing, Rayquaza because of the blinding pain in his head that blocked his control, and Sarah because her flight depended on Saphira.

Dragon and trainer struck the land first. As Saphira hit the rock, Sarah was thrown from her back and came in contact with the rock twice as she rolled away. The first time, a blow was struck to her chest. The second time, her head grazed a sharp rocky surface. She was blinded by pain s she rolled to a stop. For a moment the pain exploded, then everything went momentarily black.

- - - - -

He opened his eyes, his first instinct a wince as he felt pain erupt in his side. He forced his emerald orbs to open, unaware of where he was. After blinking the blur form his sight, he cast his gaze across the ocean.

Although far off, the sight of his trainer, his love, and the great beast were visible lying on a rocky island. He didn't know their conditions. Dead, injured. But he couldn't find enough strength to help them.

All he could do was lay his head and hope for the best.

- - - - -

He groaned as he became conscious. His head hurt, but luckily nothing else. He lifted himself onto his hands and knees, then carefully shook his head. A droplet of something flew from his forehead as he did. He reached up and touched it, finding the wetness warm and sticky.

But the blood hardly bothered him as he caught sight of the Charizard next to him. He carefully got up and checked the dragon's condition. Unconscious, a small hole in the wing, but his breathing signified his life. He and his friend may have been safe, but what about his sister?

Turning toward the ocean stretched vastly beneath the cliff he stood on, he searched the sky for them. But it was empty. Not even the great beast slithered through the air. He searched the ocean. His eyes landed on a small island. Even at the distance, the caught sight of the beast, his sister and her dragon lying still across the surface.

But with no means to fly, he had no way to help.

He ran to the cliff's edge, getting as close as he could on his own to his sister. But the distance was still to far to make a difference.

- - - - -

Consciousness was painful as it overcame Sarah. Her leg throbbed, her head pounded, a warm wetness dripped from her forehead down her cheek, and breathing was sharp and painful. She could only groan and wonder past her closed eyelids where she was. She could barely remember what had occurred. She remembered by flashes. Rayquaza and Saphira's Hyper Beam. They were struck. They fell. It all went black.

Sarah opened her eyes. She felt a cold, hard rock surface underneath her, giving no comfort to her aching body. She felt something smooth in her hand. She lifted it to examine it. The orb rested unharmed in her closed palm. How she managed to keep it safe when she fell, she'd never know. She looked around for Saphira. She was nowhere in sight. She hoped she was ok.

Her heart skipped a beat as she thought of Rayquaza. Where was he?

As if he could read her mind, the large dragon announced his position by coming back to wakefulness and shifting his bulk around. Sarah turned her head to her right to see the beast just yards away from her, head shaking as he awoke.

The pent up fear that now clouded Sarah's senses gave her enough energy to forget her injuries and stand up. Her first thought was to run, but her leg swiftly reminded her that it was in pain. She could barely stand on it and almost fell under her own weight. Rayquaza heard her movements. He turned his head towards her. A growl bubbled deeply in his throat.

Out of nowhere, a blue blur whizzed into Sarah's line of vision. Saphira leapt in front of her trainer and skidded to a halt. She dug her talons into the rock surface and faced the great dragon, lifting her head and bellowing louder than ever toward the sky, daring the beast to touch his trainer. When the roar faded, she lowered her head and stared the beast down, pupils dilated with fury and lip curled to bare pearly white fangs. She would fight to the death for her trainer. Rayquaza growled deeply in response.

Despite Sarah's relief to see Saphira ok, she couldn't delay any longer. Even though Saphira was ready to protect her at any cost, Sarah had to go through with this. Nothing could change that fact or alter her decision.

Favoring her right leg, Sarah stepped carefully from behind her dragon. Both dragons changed their attention from each other to the girl. Sarah kept her eyes locked on the beast. He kept his locked on her.

This was it. This was how the battle would be decided.

She raised the orb. The beam came forth and touched Rayquaza's nose.

The same sensation as before came over Sarah's senses, but this time, she was ready for it. Even as she contacted him, she felt him try to rip his contact away. But she resisted and began to speak in her mind.

"Rayquaza, stop!"

A moment's hesitation, then the fighting ceased. The connection wasn't being forcefully diminished, but the anger of the dragon still resonated within the connection.

"What do you want, human?" a deep, angry voice echoed in Sarah's head.

"You don't need to attack us," Sarah explained calmly.

Rayquaza sent Sarah a wave of pain in angered response. "Foolish! Your kind has disturbed a creature that has never shown any harm to you!"

Sarah tried to ignore the pain and fight to keep the connection. "No! Not all humans want to hurt pokemon! It was only Team Aqua, and you stopped them!"

The rage and pain ceased. Sarah breathed heavily.

There was a short pause. "Do you lie to me, human?"

"No," Sarah said sincerely. "The machine in the ocean you attacked had the ones responsible in it. They're gone now. You don't have to fight."

Another pause, this one longer. Sarah waited anxiously to hear his response.

Finally, it came.

"Very well."

The connection was released gently, and Sarah was back in her own mind. She fells to her hands and knees, breathing heavily as the contact took a toll on her. Once she regained her breath, she looked up at the beast. He watched her with intense eyes. Both stared for a moment.

Then Rayquaza took flight and ascended toward the sky.

Sarah watched until he was no longer in sight.

She had done it.

Standing up and favoring her leg, Sarah felt a great relief and sense of utter accomplishment sweep through her. It was over. Everything had gone well. She did it.

Saphira nudged Sarah's back and urged her hand to rest on her neck for support. Sarah looked into the dragon's eyes. They shown with great pride at the accomplishment. They did it together. They made it through.

Never had their bond been as strong as it was now.

- - - - -

TV interviews and media were all but too common among Sarah and the group after the incident. Even as they lay in the hospital recovering from their injuries, which consisted of Sarah with an injured leg, deep cut on her forehead and a broken rib, William with a cut on his forehead, Saphira and Ignitus with deep gashes in their wings to be repaired, and a gash in Glaedr's side to be mended, the reporters were all over them. As were their parents, who happened to see a report of an attack on Sootopolis, followed by an interview of their hospital bedridden children. They rushed over and fussed and questioned them about what happened. It didn't help much, but their love and comfort was welcomed.

Even as they recovered, more information had to be given to the constantly interested public. Everyone knew about the appearance of Rayquaza, Eirena's prophecy, and Sarah and the group's roles in stopping him. Even her Aura of the Dragon had become public. It was skepticized, and Sarah was weary, but most were fascinated and simply craved more information. She was treated as a celebrity by some, a hero by others. The girl with the Aura of the Dragon became big. She didn't like it at first. But eventually, she accepted it as thanks for her actions.

She never got used to being treated like a hero, but she became very fond of the award and title she received from the Pokemon League.

'Hero of the People, and Master of Dragons.'

She became a Dragon Master after all.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It's done. I can't believe it. And I can't believe you stuck with me this whole time! Thank you!

It's astounding how a person's writing style can evolve over the span of one year. I started this story an amateur, and now I've become a better writer. True that not much of my best writing style can be seen in this story, but I know I've learned a lot, and look forward to using my skills for my next story.

I apologize to anyone who was disappointed in the end of Dragon Master. I don't know if I met everyone's expectations, but I hope it was satisfactory. I know I left many things hanging, like the final badge and the Pokemon League. But that gives me an excuse for a sequel, if I ever choose to write one.

Anyway, thanks for sticking with me, even when my writing style kept changing. It was a lot of fun!


End file.
